Lakshmi Puja

Lakshmi Puja marks the most important day of Diwali celebrations in North India. Hindu homes worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, and Ganesh, the God of auspicious beginnings, and then light lamps in the streets and homes to welcome prosperity and well-being.

Swami Vishwananda: “We ask Maha Lakshmi to bestow Her grace not only on all of us, but on everybody who needs Her help in whatever way. To bestow Her wealth of health to people who are sick, to shine forth Her light, so that our intellect is pure and help everybody who needs help.”

Diwali marks the end of the harvest season in most of India. Farmers give thanks for the bounty of the year gone by, and pray for a good harvest for the year to come. Traditionally this marked the closing of accounts for businesses dependent on the agrarian cycle, and is the last major celebration before winter. Lakshmi symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and her blessings are invoked for a good year ahead.

There are two legends that associate the worship of Lakshmi on this day. According to the first legend, on this day, Lakshmi emerged from Kshira Sagar, the Ocean of Milk, during the great churning of the oceans, Samudra manthan. The second legend relates to Vishnu avatar Vamana, the incarnation he assumed to kill the demon king Bali. On this day, Vishnu came back to his abode Vaikuntha; so those who worship Lakshmi receive the benefit of her benevolent mood, and are blessed with mental, physical and material well-being.
As per spiritual references, on this day "Lakshmi-panchayatan" enters the Universe. Vishnu, Indra, Kubera, Gajendra and Lakshmi are elements of this "panchayatan" (a group of five). The tasks of these elements are:
•    Lakshmi: Divine Energy (Shakti) which provides energy to all the above activities.
•    Vishnu: Happiness (happiness and satisfaction)
•    Kubera: Wealth (Generosity; one who gives away wealth)
•    Indra: Opulence (satisfaction due to wealth)
•    Gajendra: Carries the wealth

Swami Vishwananda said during a relatively recent Diwali ceremony: “Maha Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth. Wealth, when we talk about wealth, what do you think about? The bank, eh?  It’s true, when we talk about Maha Lakshmi, we think also of the bank, money, but is money everything? No, it’s not. We need it. Of course, without money, we can’t do anything, but She also symbolizes spiritual wealth. And this wealth, that’s what Christ talks about, saying, “The wise one put their money not in the bank in the world“, because somebody can come and take it away, “but in the bank, which is up”, or deep within. So She symbolizes this spiritual wealth, that the more we surrender to, on our path of knowing ourselves, the more we will be free. We’ll be full of spiritual knowledge. We’ll be full of the grace of the Divine. Otherwise we are never free. One day we want this, tomorrow we want that, then another day we want another thing. It’s endless. Can we ever be free from that? No, we will never be. So Maha Lakshmi, She helps to fulfill all your wishes, so that you can be ready to fulfill also the wish of your Soul.”