वैभव लक्ष्मी व्रत कथा

The story of the Vaibhav Lakshmi vrat is not from a Purana; it is a story of the people. It has reached homes across the country over the last few generations, and each home tells it in slightly different words. Here we tell its heart in our own words, in the order most families know.

There was a large city. It did not lack money, but it lacked happiness. People ran after wealth, competed with one another, and the more they got the more their discontent grew. In that city lived a housewife named Sheela with her husband. Both were simple by nature, content with little, remembered God morning and evening, and their neighbours looked on them with respect. Their home was small, but there was peace in it.

Then times changed. Sheela's husband fell in with men of the city who sold dreams of getting rich quickly. First speculation, then gambling, then drink. What had been earned drained away, and debts piled up on top of it. Household goods were sold, then Sheela's jewellery. The man who had once been gentle grew irritable and harsh, quarrelled at home over small things and came back late at night. Sheela complained to no one. She kept the house going, kept up her puja, and prayed to Mother Lakshmi in her heart.

One day there was a knock at the door. An old woman stood there, in plain clothes, but with such a light on her face that Sheela could not look away. Sheela welcomed her in with respect, gave her a seat, and set before her whatever refreshment the house had. The old woman asked quietly, 'Daughter, why do you look so worn? Is all well at home?' Sheela was silent at first; then the grief she had held back for months poured out, and she told the whole story of her home.

The old woman heard it all and said, 'Daughter, Lakshmi stays where there is cleanliness, faith and restraint. Your faith is not yet broken, and that is why I have come as far as your door. Mother Lakshmi has many forms; one of them is Vaibhav Lakshmi, who brings back the prosperity a home has lost. Keep her vrat on Fridays.' Then she explained the method in simple words: after bathing, set a gold or silver ornament on a pot of water as the sign of Lakshmi, light a lamp before a picture of Mother Lakshmi and of the Shri Yantra, offer kheer and red flowers, tell the katha and do the aarti. 'Keep this vrat for eleven or twenty-one Fridays, and at the end do the udyapan,' the old woman said.

Sheela asked, 'Mother, what is the Shri Yantra, and which forms of Lakshmi do you mean?' The old woman said, 'The Shri Yantra is a picture of Lakshmi drawn in lines; to look on it and bow is itself its worship. And Lakshmi is worshipped in eight forms, called the Ashta Lakshmi: Adi Lakshmi, Dhan Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi, Gaja Lakshmi, Santan Lakshmi, Veer Lakshmi, Vijay Lakshmi and Vidya Lakshmi. Bow to all eight, but in this vrat remember Vaibhav Lakshmi.' With that the old woman rose. When Sheela bent to touch her feet she smiled: 'Daughter, keep faith, but keep your hands at work too. Lakshmi does not stay in the house of the idle.' And she went away.

The next Friday Sheela began the vrat. Not one ornament was left in the house, so she washed a coin, placed it on the pot and said in her heart, 'Mother, what I have is what I offer.' Kheer was made from a little milk, one red flower came from the courtyard, and sitting before the picture of Mother Lakshmi she told the story in her own words. From then on the same order was kept every Friday. Slowly a change came over Sheela. The house was kept cleaner than before, she took hold of the spending, a habit of saving a little at a time formed, and above all the fear in her mind drained away.

That peace in the home began to touch her husband too. One Friday he came home early and found Sheela telling the story before the lamp. He said nothing and quietly sat down beside her. That night, for the first time in many days, there was no quarrel in the house. Then of his own accord he kept away from his bad company. In place of gambling he looked for work again, paid off the debts first with what little he earned, and Sheela's savings held him up. It took time, but the home stood on its feet again. The neighbours who had turned their faces from the house began to come back.

On the twenty-first Friday Sheela did the udyapan. She offered kheer, told the whole story, and invited seven married women to her home, giving each kumkum, a sweet and the katha of the vrat, so that they too would carry it to their homes. Her husband sat beside her through that puja. All that day Sheela kept thinking of the old woman who was never seen again, and she understood that on that afternoon Mother Lakshmi herself had come to her door. It is said that from Sheela this vrat spread to many homes in that city, and that wherever work, cleanliness and contentment came along with faith, prosperity returned too.

On Friday morning bathe and put on clean clothes; red, pink or white is considered auspicious. The puja is done in the morning or in the evening, as the family keeps it; in many homes it is done in the evening with the lamp lit, and sitting facing east is considered auspicious. On the first Friday take water and unbroken rice in your hand and make a sankalp (resolve) in your own words: that you will keep the Vaibhav Lakshmi vrat for eleven or twenty-one Fridays. Decide the number at the start.

Spread a red or white cloth on a low wooden stool (chowki). Make a small heap of rice on it and set a copper or brass pot (lota) filled with water on the heap. On the pot place a small bowl, and in it a gold or silver ornament such as a ring, a chain or a coin; in many homes this ornament is taken as the symbol of Lakshmi in this vrat. If there is no ornament, a silver or ordinary coin may be used, as Sheela did in the story.

Place a picture of Mother Lakshmi and a picture of the Shri Yantra on the stool. The Shri Yantra is a line drawing of interlocking triangles that is regarded as Lakshmi's form as a yantra; in this vrat a printed picture of it is enough, and to look on it and bow is its worship. Mark the pictures with kumkum and unbroken rice, offer red flowers, especially rose or lotus, light a ghee lamp and show incense.

For bhog offer kheer or a sweet made of milk; some homes also place a fruit or a white sweet beside it. The name-mantra of Lakshmi, 'ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः', may be repeated a few times, and the eight names of the Ashta Lakshmi are saluted. Then read or hear this katha. In most homes a little unbroken rice or a flower is held in the hand while the katha is read, and offered on the stool afterwards.

After the katha do the aarti 'Om Jai Lakshmi Mata' and share the kheer prasad among all the members of the household; in many homes the prasad of this vrat is shared only among the members of the household. After the puja wash the ornament with clean water and put it back where it is kept, or wear it. Pour the water of the pot on a tulsi or another plant, and mix the rice of the heap into the household rice or scatter it for birds. Nothing of the materials is thrown away.

Food: in this vrat many people eat one sattvic meal in the day, and some keep phalahar (fruit and milk) all day. As the vrat is commonly kept in homes, it has no rule against sour food like that of the Santoshi Mata vrat, but keep the food sattvic and stay away from onion, garlic, meat and alcohol. Severity of fasting is not the spirit of this vrat; cleanliness, discipline and faith are.

The vrat is not forced on anyone. The ill, pregnant or nursing women, the elderly, children and anyone on regular medicines should not keep a waterless or full fast. They keep the spirit of the vrat with water, fruit and milk, join the puja and the katha, and put a doctor's advice first. No result is guaranteed by this vrat; it is a practice of faith and discipline.

If on some Friday you are away from home, travelling or unwell, many homes keep the puja simple that day: remembering Mother Lakshmi and reading the katha wherever you are, or another member of the household does the puja. Some families do not count that Friday and carry on from the next one. In both customs the vow is not broken. During periods many families pause the puja and resume the next Friday; the vrat is not considered broken.

Through the weeks of the vrat keep the home clean and in order, avoid quarrels and harsh words, and do not spend wastefully. Remember the old woman's words in the story: along with faith, work is needed too. This vrat is kept out of trust, not fear.

The udyapan is done on the eleventh or the twenty-first Friday, whichever number was taken in the sankalp. That day the puja is a little fuller: the same stool, pot, ornament and Shri Yantra, but more flowers, a full offering of kheer, and the katha read in full. Salute the eight names of the Ashta Lakshmi and do the aarti.

After the puja invite seven or eleven married women or young girls to the home, or go to theirs. Put kumkum on each, and give each a copy of the katha of the vrat, a sweet and a small gift. Passing the katha on is the main custom of this udyapan, as Sheela did in the story. In some homes a Brahmin or someone in need is also given food or a gift that day.

After the udyapan wear the ornament with respect or keep it carefully; it is a reminder of Lakshmi's presence in the home. Many people continue a simple Friday puja with a kheer offering even after the udyapan, and some families take a fresh vow of eleven or twenty-one Fridays after a while. In some homes seven women are called, in some eleven, and in some no fixed number; it depends on the family's tradition, and if your custom differs a little, do not be troubled.

In the tradition of this vrat the eight forms of Lakshmi are saluted together. The list of the Ashta Lakshmi varies a little between traditions: the Ashtalakshmi Stotra of the south names Dhairya Lakshmi (also called Veer Lakshmi) and Vidya Lakshmi, while the list spoken in many homes has Aishwarya Lakshmi, the goddess of splendour, in place of Vidya Lakshmi. The eight forms are introduced below; if your family's list differs a little, follow your own.

Adi Lakshmi, also called Mahalakshmi, is the original form of Lakshmi, the power of Vishnu, from whom all the other forms arise. She is pictured seated on a lotus, with lotuses in her hands and the gestures of protection and blessing.

Dhan Lakshmi is the goddess of money and property; in pictures gold coins pour from her hand. The tradition remembers her for freedom from debt and steadiness of income.

Dhanya Lakshmi is the goddess of grain, of the harvest in the field and the store in the house. Her hands hold ears of paddy and fruit. The tradition says that the home that has grain is a blessed home.

Gaja Lakshmi is bathed by elephants holding pots on either side of her. She is the goddess of royal splendour, cattle wealth and power; the story goes that Indra regained his lost splendour by her grace.

Santan Lakshmi is shown with a child in her lap. She is the goddess of children, their health and the continuity of the family; childless couples and parents remember her.

Veer Lakshmi, whom some traditions call Dhairya Lakshmi, gives courage, patience and the strength to stand firm in trouble. Her hands hold weapons. Sheela's patience in the story is an example of this form.

Vijay Lakshmi, also called Jaya Lakshmi, is the goddess of success in every undertaking and of victory over obstacles. The tradition remembers her before a lawsuit, a competition or the start of a new venture.

Vidya Lakshmi is the goddess of knowledge, the arts and skill; her hands are shown holding a book. The tradition holds that learning is the wealth that grows by being shared, and students and artists remember her.

By tradition the Vaibhav Lakshmi vrat is kept for the return of lost wealth and prosperity, freedom from debt, the quieting of strife at home, the happiness of children and contentment of mind. The message of the story is plain: Lakshmi stays in the home where cleanliness, faith, restraint and hard work go together. Sheela asked for no miracle; she changed the way her home was run, and the home changed.

In practice the vrat builds a few ordinary habits: a weekly cleaning of the home, an eye on spending, a little saving, sitting with the family for the katha and prasad, and one day of restraint. Do not take it as a promise of results; it is a practice of faith and discipline, and its first fruit is the same steady mind that Sheela found in the story.

The katha ends with Mother Lakshmi's aarti 'Om Jai Lakshmi Mata', which is in this library. Do the aarti with a ghee lamp or camphor and ring the bell, then pass your hands over the flame and touch them to your eyes, and give the kheer prasad to every member of the household. Those who wish may also recite the Lakshmi Chalisa, the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam or the Kanakadhara Stotram after the aarti; these too are in this library.