Hari Aum.
Om Sri Mahalakshmyai Namah.
I hope all readers are keeping well and that your sadhana is going smoothly. We are now exactly a month away from Navaratri, the nine day celebration of the glories of the Divine Mother.
I chanced to come across the Lakshmi sahasranama today, a very beautiful prayer to Mother Lakshmi and wanted to share this with you.
In Sanskrit, 'sahasra' means 'one thousand', and 'nama' means 'name'. So 'sahasranama' means 'one thousand names'. The two most well-known and popular sahasranamas are the ones dedicated to Lord Vishnu and the Divine Mother Lalita. These are recited in temples and in the homes of devotees all over the world. However, there are sahasranamas for various other deities, including Mother Lakshmi.
Today is Friday, the day of the Goddess, and I was listening to the Mahalakshmi ashtakam (eight verses in praises of Mother Lakshmi) this evening while doing some rather dull, household chores. After listening to this and also singing along for a while, I was in the mood to continue to enjoy the experience of devotion to Mother Lakshmi.
Knowing that 'sahasranamas' tend to be on a longer side, I decided to do an online search and came up with a beautiful rendition of the Lakshmi sahasranama (please see links below). The meaning of the Sanskrit names of Lakshmi were so sweet and melodious to the ear that I felt I really had to write about it today. I was also very tempted to perform a puja while listening to the sahasranama (will keep this for another occasion soon as it is now a bit late in the day).
This prayer is described in the Skanda Purana and is said to have been recited by the sage Sanatkumara (who explained to other sages who then went on to teach this to their own disciples).
Lakshmi sahasranama recitation:
The entire prayer (in various scripts):
Meaning of each of the one thousand names of Mother Lakshmi:
The Lakshmi sahasranama has a very sweet, benevolent, gentle energy associated with it. The Goddess is this form is essentially depicted as the nourishing and compassionate Mother of the entire universe.
The sahasranama broadly describes Her as One who:
-bestows peace, happiness, health and wealth (both material and spiritual)
-vanquishes evil (for example, She is described as Kali, Durga, Narasimhi and Varahi)
-gives wisdom (She is described as Sarasvati)
-has a beautiful form and qualities
-is the beloved of Vishnu
-is the embodiment of mantras and worship
-can be propitiated by the recitation of mantras and performance of worship
-is the origin of all Creation
-is the Sustainer and Destroyer of all
-deludes (as Maya) and also removes delusion (by granting Self realisation)
-is Mother Nature in all aspects (including the five 'great elements' namely, fire, water, earth, air and space)
-is the Supreme Being, the granter of all blessings
From a spiritual perspective, hearing or reciting this is said to grant divine blessings, devotion to God and spiritual liberation.
From a material perspective, this prayer is said is to grant worldly comforts and wealth, a peaceful home and good health.
From the perspective of Vedic astrology, this would be particularly helpful for those who have a weak Venus in their birth chart (as Lakshmi is the presiding deity for this planet) and those who are ruled by the Venusian signs (Taurus and Libra as the ascendant and/or moon sign).
I have to admit I really enjoyed listening to this sahasranama and feeling connected to Mother Lakshmi--I plan to listen to it many more times in the coming weeks and will hopefully learn to recite at least some of it (I was also surprised and pleased to see the name 'Aparna' on the list; I have always secretly wished my first name had a more direct connection with Vishnu and was glad to finally discover that this is in fact the case!).
I hope that you too enjoy listening to, reciting and contemplating upon the meaning of this beautiful meditative prayer dedicated to Mother Lakshmi.
Om Sri MahaLakshmyai Namah.
May Mother Lakshmi bless us all.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.
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