Varalakshmi Vratam Puja
The dressed kalash, the yellow thread and Lakshmi who grants boons
Common way — most homes
The Friday before Shravana Purnima, in the morning. Muhurtha shows the day on the festival card.
About 1 hour
Mainly kept in the South, this vrat welcomes Lakshmi as a dressed kalash. Women tie a sacred yellow thread and give tamboolam to other women. If a mantra is hard, "Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah" can stand in for any of them.
Prayers in this puja
Shubham Karoti ›Vakratunda Mahakaya ›Shuklambaradharam ›Mushikavahana ›Namastestu Mahamaye ›Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah ›Om Jai Lakshmi Mata ›
Get ready
The day before
- Clean the house, draw a kolam, and set up the altar.
- Make the thread: nine strands of yellow cotton with nine knots.
In the morning
- Bathe and dress the kalash with a coconut, cloth, turmeric and a Lakshmi face if you have one.
- Cook the sweets: pongal, payasam or obbattu.
What you need
For Varalakshmi
- 1Kalash with water, rice, coin, mango leaves and coconut
- As you haveCloth, jewellery and Lakshmi face for the kalash
- 1 for each womanYellow thread with nine knots (nombu charadu)
- 1 set for each guestTamboolam: betel, areca, turmeric, kumkum, fruit, blouse piece
- A handfulLotus or other flowers
- As you canNine sweets or dishes
For the altar
- 1Clean cloth to place it onRed or yellow is traditional.
- 1Puja plate (thali)
On the plate
- 1Oil lamp (diya) with a cotton wickGhee or sesame oil.
- 2Incense sticks (agarbatti)
- A pinch eachKumkum and haldi
- A littleSandal paste (chandan)No chandan? Use kumkum.
- 1 tablespoonAkshat — unbroken rice grains mixed with a little kumkum
- A handfulFresh flowers
- 1Small vessel of clean water with a spoon
- 1Small bellOptional.
To offer
- A littleFruit, jaggery, sugar crystals (mishri) or anything cooked fresh at home
- 1 or 2 piecesCamphor for the aartiOptional; the lamp can be used instead.
The puja
Settle in
Sit facing east or north before the deity on a mat or folded cloth. Keep the plate on your right. Take a breath and let the day wait for a few minutes.
Achamana — sip water three times
Pour a little water into your right palm and sip it three times, saying the first three names, one with each sip. Then wash your right hand with a little water while saying the fourth.
ōm kēśavāya namaḥ. ōm nārāyaṇāya namaḥ. ōm mādhavāya namaḥ. ōm gōvindāya namaḥ.Salutations to Keshava, Narayana and Madhava; salutations to Govinda.Purify yourself and the place
Hold a flower dipped in water and sprinkle a few drops on yourself, the plate and the altar while saying this verse.
ōm apavitraḥ pavitrō vā sarvāvasthāṁ gatō'pi vā. yaḥ smarēt puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ.Whether pure or impure, in whatever state, one who remembers the lotus-eyed Lord is pure within and without.Light the lamp
Light the lamp and place it to the right of the deity. Fold your hands to it.
śubhaṁ karōti kalyāṇamārōgyaṁ dhanasampadaḥ. śatrubuddhivināśāya dīpajyōtirnamō'stu tē.I bow to the flame of the lamp, which brings good fortune, well-being, health and wealth, and destroys ill will.Remember Ganesha
Every puja begins with Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. Fold your hands and say the verse once.
vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakōṭisamaprabha. nirvighnaṁ kuru mē dēva sarvakāryēṣu sarvadā.O Ganesha of the curved trunk and mighty form, radiant as a crore suns, keep my every work free of obstacles, always.Sankalpa — state your intention
Hold a little water, akshat and a flower in your right palm. Say your name, today's date in the Hindu calendar, and why you are doing the puja — for example, for the well-being of the family. Then let the water fall on the ground or into a plate. Tap "Make sankalpa" to read today's full sankalpa.
Invite Lakshmi
Set the dressed kalash on rice on the altar, and fold your hands to invite her into it.
Gandha — sandal paste
Apply a dot of chandan or kumkum to the deity with your ring finger.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. gandhaṁ samarpayāmi.Praise her
Offer flowers while saying this verse, and chant her name 108 times if you can.
namastē'stu mahāmāyē śrīpīṭhē surapūjitē. śaṅkhacakragadāhastē mahālakṣmi namō'stu tē.Salutations, great enchantress, worshipped by the gods at the seat of Shri, conch, discus and mace in hand: O Mahalakshmi, I bow to you.Tie the thread
Offer the thread at the kalash, then tie it on your right wrist, or ask an elder to.
Dhupa — incense
Light the incense and wave it gently before the deity three times, clockwise. Ring the bell with your left hand if you have one.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. dhūpam āghrāpayāmi.Deepa — the lamp
Lift the lamp and show it to the deity, circling it clockwise three times.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. dīpaṁ darśayāmi.Naivedya — food
Place the food before the deity. Sprinkle a little water around it, and offer it with folded hands. Wait a moment, as if it is being received.
ōm śrīṁ mahālakṣmyai namaḥ. naivēdyaṁ nivēdayāmi.Aarti
Light the lamp and sing Om Jai Lakshmi Mata or your family's song, circling clockwise.
Kshama prarthana — ask forgiveness
With folded hands, ask forgiveness for anything done wrong or left out. This closes every puja.
āvāhanaṁ na jānāmi na jānāmi visarjanam. pūjāṁ caiva na jānāmi kṣamasva paramēśvara. mantrahīnaṁ kriyāhīnaṁ bhaktihīnaṁ surēśvara. yatpūjitaṁ mayā dēva paripūrṇaṁ tadastu mē.I do not know how to invite you, nor how to send you off, nor even how to worship; forgive me, O Lord. Whatever I have offered — lacking in mantra, in action or in devotion — may it be made whole.Tamboolam
Invite married women and neighbours, and give each tamboolam with respect. The next morning, gently move the kalash, and use its rice in the family's food.
Fasting
Many fast until the puja is over. Those who need to should eat.
Good to do
- Include women who are often left out of such gatherings, including widows, if your family is open to it.
- Keep it simple if you must; a kalash and a thread are enough.
Tradition avoids
- Do not compare jewellery or spending.
- Do not waste the kalash rice; it is cooked and eaten.
Vara means boon. The tradition says Lakshmi stays where women are welcomed and honoured.
Traditions vary. Follow your own family's way.