A Step-By-Step Guide To Laxmi Puja
Laxmi Puja, or the worship of the goddess of wealth, is the main event on Diwali in India
It is extremely important to keep the house spotlessly clean and pure on Diwali. Goddess Laxmi likes cleanliness, and she will visit the cleanest house first. This is also the reason why the broom is worshipped on this day with offerings of haldi and kumkum (turmeric and vermilion).
Lamps are lit in the evening to welcome the goddess. They are believed to light up her path.
Laxmi Puja consists of a combined puja of five deities: Ganesha is worshipped at the beginning of every auspicious act as Vighnaharta; Goddess Laxmi is worshipped in her three forms - MahaLaxmi (the goddess of wealth and money), MahaSaraswati (the goddess of books and learning), and MahaKali; Kuber (the treasurer of the gods) is also worshipped.
Spread a new cloth on a raised platform. Place a handful of grains in the centre and, on this, place a kalash (pitcher) made of gold, silver, copper, or terracotta. Fill three-fourth of the kalash with water and place a betel nut, a flower, a coin, and some rice grains in it. Arrange five kinds of leaves or mango leaves in the kalash.
Place a small dish on the kalash and fill it with rice grains. Draw a lotus with turmeric powder (haldi) over the rice grains and place the idol of goddess Laxmi over it, along with coins.
In front of the kalash, on the right (South-West direction), place the idol of Ganesha. Also place ink and books related to your business or occupation on the platform.
Light a lamp and begin the puja by offering haldi, kumkum, and flowers to the platform on which the kalash is placed.
Then offer haldi, kumkum, and flowers to the water that is to be used for the puja. Invoke the river goddesses to be part of this water.
Sprinkle this water on all puja utensils to purify them.
Offer haldi, kumkum, and flowers to the kalash on which the idol of Laxmi is placed.
Invoke goddess Laxmi by reciting the Vedic mantras addressed to her. One can also recite the mantras mentioned in the Puranas or simply take some flowers in your hands, close your eyes, and think of goddess Laxmi being showered with gold coins by two elephants standing on either side of her and chant her name. Then offer the flowers to the idol.
Place the idol of Laxmi in a plate and bathe it with water, panchamrit (a mixture of milk, curds, ghee or clarified butter, honey, and sugar) and then with water containing some gold ornament or a pearl. Wipe the idol clean and place it back on the kalash. Alternately, you can just sprinkle water and panchamrit on the idol with a flower.
Offer sandal paste, saffron paste, perfume (itr), haldi, kumkum, abeer, and gulal to the goddess. Offer a garland of cotton beads to the goddess. Offer flowers, especially the marigold flowers and leaves of Bel (wood apple tree).
Light an incense stick and dhoop. Make an offering of sweets, coconut, fruits, and tambul.
Then worship the ink and business books. Open the first page of each book and write '' Shubh Labh '' on it and draw a Swastika in the clockwise direction.
Make an offering of puffed rice and batasha. Pour some puffed rice, batasha, coriander seeds, and cumin seeds over the idol. Collect some of this as the prasad and place it in the safe where you keep money and jewelery. Worship this safe as a symbol of Lord Kuber.
Finally, perform the aarti for goddess Laxmi. Always remember that she abhors loud noise. So the aarti should be accompanied only by a small bell. Do not clap hands, as is the practice when performing aarti for other gods. A peaceful and sublime atmosphere should prevail during the puja. Do not light crackers while the puja is on or immediately after it.
Gambling or lending and borrowing money on Diwali is prohibited according to the shastras (scriptures), as this is the day of worshipping money, a manifestation of goddess Laxmi.
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