Lakshmi Puja: Fridays and Diwali

In brief

Lakshmi is the Goddess of well-being and abundance, shown seated on a lotus. People welcome her into a clean, bright home with lamps, flowers and sweets. This page gives a short Friday puja and the fuller Diwali evening puja. Lakshmi is usually worshipped together with Ganesha, and Diwali homes often add Kubera, the keeper of wealth. The puja is an act of gratitude and good order, not a promise of any result. Customs vary by family and region, so ask your priest about anything beyond these basics.

When to do it

• Friday (Shukravar) is Lakshmi's day for many families. The evening is common. Some keep the Vaibhav Lakshmi vrat for 11 or 21 Fridays.
• Diwali, on Amavasya, in the evening during Pradosh Kaal (= the hours after sunset), ideally while a steady (sthira) rising sign is up. The site shows the muhurat for your city.
• Also on Dhanteras, Sharad Purnima and Varalakshmi Vratam, which have their own pages.

What you need

• A picture or murti of Lakshmi, with Ganesha beside her, on a cloth of red or yellow
• A kalash (= pot of water) with mango leaves and a coconut wrapped in red cloth
• Lotus, or red, pink or white flowers. Families differ on the colour.
• Kumkum, turmeric, sandalwood paste, akshat (= unbroken rice), betel leaves and nuts
• Coins; for Diwali, account books or jewellery if you wish
• Lamps (11 is common on Diwali), incense, camphor, a bell
• Kheer, sweets, puffed rice, fruit and a coconut

Puja vidhi (steps)

1. Clean the home and the altar. On Diwali many families draw small footprints of Lakshmi from the door to the puja place. Bathe and put on clean or festive clothes.
2. Set the images on the cloth. Fill the kalash with water and a coin.
3. Sip water three times (see the daily puja page) and state your sankalpa (= spoken intention) in your own words, with water, rice and a flower in your palm.
4. Worship Ganesha first with a flower and "ॐ गं गणपतये नमः" (om gam ganapataye namah).
5. Light the lamp and incense.
6. Invite Lakshmi with a flower, a lotus if you have one, and "ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः" (om shreem mahalakshmyai namah).
7. Sprinkle a little water, or bathe a metal image with panchamrit and then water. A clay image gets a few drops only.
8. Offer cloth or a thread, sandalwood paste, kumkum, akshat and flowers.
9. On Diwali, place coins and account books before the deity. Some families also worship Kubera.
10. Recite the Shri Sukta (a Vedic hymn to Lakshmi), the Lakshmi Ashtakam or the Kanakadhara Stotra, or chant the mantra above 108 times.
11. Offer naivedya (= food offering): kheer, sweets, puffed rice and fruit.
12. Do aarti with the lamp and bell. Offer a handful of flowers, circle the altar clockwise three times or turn in place, and bow.
13. On Diwali, light lamps at the doorway, windows and rooms, and share the prasad. Many families keep a small lamp burning through the night.

For a Friday, the short form is Ganesha, the lamp, a flower, kheer and aarti.

Mantras and aarti

The aarti for this puja is the Lakshmi aarti, with its text on the aarti page. The Mahalakshmi Ashtakam is on the mantra page, and the 108 names of Lakshmi are on the namavali page. Families also recite the Shri Sukta and the Kanakadhara Stotra. A Friday fast, if you keep one, is usually a light one broken after the evening puja. People with health conditions, pregnant or nursing women, children and the elderly should follow their doctor's advice and may keep a lighter fast. Ask a priest or elder to guide pronunciation.

Doing it in the USA

Lamps. Diwali brings many flames into the home. Use tea lights or ghee diyas on metal plates, keep them well away from curtains and paper, and blow them out before you go out or sleep. LED diyas are a sensible choice for a rental apartment, as are battery strings. Use camphor and incense sparingly near smoke alarms.

Items. Lotus is hard to find fresh, so most families use red or pink flowers. Lotus seeds (makhana), coins, sweets and puffed rice are sold at Indian grocery stores. Rangoli can be made with chalk or flower petals, which are gentler than coloured powder on floors and carpets.

Time. The Lakshmi Puja muhurat depends on your sunset, so use the time shown for your city, not an Indian one. The date can differ by a day from India. If Diwali falls on a workday, many families do the puja at sunset after work, or join a community puja at a temple on the nearest weekend.