Shri Suktam
Fifteen verses that call Lakshmi "golden, lotus-born, radiant as the moon" — and ask Agni to bring the goddess "who will not leave". The Shri Suktam is chanted at every Lakshmi puja. What does it ask for, and what does it ask us to give up?
The verse
A Vedic welcome
The Shri Suktam is one of the khila (supplementary) hymns of the Rigveda, recited in Lakshmi abhishekam, Varalakshmi Vratam and Diwali puja. It is addressed first to Agni, Jatavedas, asking him to bring Lakshmi to the worshipper's home.
What it asks to be taken away
In the middle of praising wealth, the hymn asks for something surprising to be removed from the house — not poverty only, but her elder sister…
The journey continues for members
- Alakshmi — the sister who must go
- Images in the hymn
- Traditional practice
- A note on what mantras promise
Sources
- Shri Suktam — Rigveda khila