॥ Lakshmi Puja Vidhi ॥
Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Worshipping Goddess Lakshmi
When to Perform
- Diwali night — Kartika Amavasya (most auspicious)
- Every Friday (Shukravar) — Lakshmi’s sacred day
- Kojagara Purnima — full moon of Ashvin (the Goddess roams the earth)
- Beginning of a new venture — business, home, any new chapter
- Monthly Lakshmi Puja — first Friday of each month
Puja Samagri
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Lakshmi and Ganesha images | Always worship Ganesha first |
| Red cloth | For the deity’s seat (Pitha) |
| Lotus flowers | Most sacred to Lakshmi |
| Marigolds, roses | For decoration |
| Yellow flowers | Sunflowers, marigolds |
| Panchamrit | Milk, curd, honey, ghee, sugar |
| Kheer (rice pudding) | Main naivedya offering |
| Coconut (whole) | Symbolic of the head offered in surrender |
| Betel leaves with areca nut | |
| Turmeric and kumkum | For tilak |
| Ghee lamp with 5 wicks | Panchadipa |
| Incense | Sandalwood or rose |
| Coins (any metal) | To be placed in puja and taken back blessed |
| Shri Yantra (if available) | The geometric form of Lakshmi |
| Gangajal | Holy water |
Step 1: Purification
Om Apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastha gatopi va
Yah smaret Pundarikaksham sa bahyabhyantarah suchih
“Whether pure or impure, one who remembers Lord Vishnu (lotus-eyed) becomes pure internally and externally.”
Sprinkle Gangajal over the puja area, yourself, and all the puja items.
Step 2: Sankalpa (Setting Intention)
Place your right hand on your heart and say:
“Om Tat Sat — Adya [state today’s date by the lunar calendar if known] — I, [your name], am performing this Lakshmi Puja for the well-being, prosperity, and spiritual upliftment of my family. May Goddess Mahalakshmi be pleased and grant her grace.”
Step 3: Ganesha Puja (Always First!)
Before Lakshmi, invoke Lord Ganesha:
“Om Gam Ganapataye Namah” — offer flowers and modak
Never begin any puja without first invoking Ganesha — the remover of obstacles — to ensure the puja proceeds perfectly.
Step 4: Invocation of Goddess Lakshmi (Avahana)
Light the lamp and incense. Ring the bell. Then recite:
Om Mahālakṣmyai ca vidmahe, Viṣṇupatnyai ca dhīmahi
Tanno Lakṣmī pracodayāt
Meaning: We know Mahalakshmi; we meditate upon the wife of Vishnu — may that Lakshmi inspire and direct us!
Step 5: Panchamrit Abhishekam
Slowly pour each substance over the Lakshmi image while chanting:
- Milk: Om Shreem Mahalakshmiyei namah — ksheera abhishekam samarpayami
- Curd: Om Shreem Mahalakshmiyei namah — dadhi abhishekam samarpayami
- Honey: Om Shreem Mahalakshmiyei namah — madhu abhishekam samarpayami
- Ghee: Om Shreem Mahalakshmiyei namah — ghrita abhishekam samarpayami
- Sugar water: Om Shreem Mahalakshmiyei namah — sharkara abhishekam samarpayami
Finally, pour plain Gangajal to clean the image.
Step 6: Decoration (Alankara)
Apply tilak: With kumkum and turmeric, apply a tilak to the Goddess’s image
Adorn with flowers: Place lotus flowers first, then roses and marigolds. Drape garlands if available.
Apply sandalwood paste: To cool and fragrance the deity
Dress the image: Wrap a small red or yellow cloth
Step 7: Shri Suktam Recitation
Recite the Shri Suktam (from the Rigveda) with full attention — this is the primary Vedic hymn to Goddess Lakshmi and the most powerful invocation of her divine grace. Even reciting 5 verses is very beneficial.
Key verse: “Om Hiraṇyavarṇāṃ hariṇīṃ suvarṇarajatasrajām — Candhrāṃ hiraṇmayīṃ Lakṣmīṃ jātavedo ma āvaha”
Step 8: Ashtottara (108 Names)
Offer a flower or lotus petal for each of the 108 names of Goddess Lakshmi:
Om Prakrityai namah — Om Vikritayai namah — Om Vidyayai namah — Om Sarvabhuta hitapradayai namah — Om Shraddhai namah — Om Vibhavai namah — Om Surayai namah…
Step 9: Naivedya (Food Offering)
Place the following before the Goddess:
- Kheer (rice pudding with saffron) — most important
- Whole coconut
- Fruits (especially banana, mango, pomegranate)
- Sugar candy (misri)
- White sweets
Say: “Om Mahalakshmiyei namah — naivedyam samarpayami”
Step 10: Aarti
Perform the aarti with the five-wicked ghee lamp:
Jaya Lakṣmī mātā, maiyā jaya Lakṣmī mātā
Tumako niścinta dhyāvat, hara vipata hara mātā
Step 11: Pradakshina and Namaskara
Circumambulate the puja table 3 times clockwise.
Then bow completely before the Goddess and offer your day, your work, your family, and your heart.
Step 12: Closing Prayer
“Om Samarpayami — with this puja I offer all to the Goddess. May she accept this worship performed with love and devotion. May any errors or omissions be forgiven. May her grace be ever present in this home.”
Distribute prasad to all family members.
Place the blessed coins back in your purse, cash drawer, or place of business — carrying Lakshmi’s energy into your daily transactions.
Signs of Lakshmi’s Blessing
The Padma Purana describes signs that Lakshmi has accepted the puja:
- A sweet fragrance that lingers after the puja is complete
- A sense of lightness and peace in the entire household
- Dreams of water, lotuses, gold, or the Goddess herself
- Unexpected good news or opportunity in the days that follow
- A feeling of being watched over and cared for
Phala Shruti
Lakṣmī pūjā vidhim idaṃ, yaḥ karoti prayatnavān
Dhana dhānya samṛddhiṃ ca, labhe tasya na saṃśayaḥ
“Whoever performs the Lakshmi Puja Vidhi with sincere effort and care — there is no doubt that they shall attain abundance of wealth, grain, and all that sustains life.”