Mahalakshmi Ashtakam
Every question on the site tagged Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, each answered from a timestamped source rather than a summary written from memory.
An eight-verse hymn to Goddess Mahalakshmi, recited — often starting on Akshaya Tritiya — for wealth and relief from financial distress.
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A Lakshmi mantra begun on Akshay Tritiya eases financial distress, ant-infested Prasad goes to the ants or a cow, and a pet's death carries one day of Sutak
The Lakshmi Mala Mantra or Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, started on Akshaya Tritiya, helps with financial distress; ant-infested Prasad should be left for the ants or given to cows; Yantras should be kept clean and periodically bathed; and a pet's death carries a one-day Sutak (three days for a cow).
How many rounds of the Lakshmi mala mantra should accompany the Lakshmi Ashtak?
Asked how many to do who wishes to do the mala mantra along with the Lakshmi Ashtak, the speaker says do 108. Asked whether the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam can be recited with a samput made from the fourth adhyaya of the Vishnu Sahasranama, he says it can absolutely be done.
When is the phalshruti read if the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam is done without samput?
Asked whether the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam is to be done without samput and whether the phalshruti is to be read every time or at the last time, the speaker says: yes, it is to be done without samput, and then the phalshruti will be read only at the last time. In any case, he says, the phalshruti is read only at the last time.
What should one do who has been given a beej mantra but has no diksha?
Asked how much japa to do of a beej mantra given for Ma Jai Durga, he says that if there is no diksha yet, then do not do japa of the beej mantra — do the Jayanti Mangala mantra. If there is diksha, then it can be done. On the Mahalakshmi Ashtak he says to do 108 paaths daily independently, completing 1100 paaths in Navratri.
How is the Mahalakshmi Ashtak made siddh?
Then the paushtik-making havan, which is especially for Lakshmi ji, with kheer, or with black kishmish or even ordinary kishmish dipped in madhu — offering ahuti with that, eleven ahutis with each single mantra of the Ashtak, and thus making it siddh. Then begin its daily eight paaths.
Which mantras are prescribed for the Sharad Purnima night?
For tomorrow night, Sharad Purnima, the speaker names mantras connected with Bhagavan Krishna, mantras connected with Bhagavati Lakshmi, and mantras connected with the saumya forms of Bhagavati Jagadamba — an Ashtottar Shatanam, a mala mantra, whether of Dhanada Lakshmi, of Shri Lakshmi, the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam and so on.
Should one recite the Shri Suktam or the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam?
If you wear the yajnopavit, the speaker says, then recite the Shri Suktam and the rest; and if not, then the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam — the Indra-krita Mahalakshmi Ashtak, whose mahatmya he calls wonderful.
For whom is the Indra-krita Mahalakshmi Ashtak said to be meant?
It has been said, the speaker relates, that it is for those whose wealth and property have been carried off, whose Lakshmi has been taken away, whose Lakshmi ji has left them and gone, that the stuti was made by Bhagavan Indra in the form of an ashtak. He quotes it as: "नमस्तेऽस्तु महामाये श्रीपीठे सुरपूजिते। शङ्खचक्रगदाहस्ते महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते॥". These are eight shlokas; that was one shloka, and if the stuti of Bhagavati is done through these eight, the shlokas are filled with divinity.
How many repetitions of the ashtak are prescribed?
Bhagavati bestows unequalled grace, the speaker says; there is no need for you to do very much. Do a hundred and eight repetitions of the eight shlokas. At the end there will be two or four shlokas — in fact only two — which are the phalshruti; leave those out. Recite the eight of the original ashtak a hundred and eight times.
The more divine form offers a hundred and eight lotuses, roses, white flowers or bilva patra
If you wish to do it in an exceedingly divine manner, the speaker says, take the Shri vigrahas of Bhagavati Lakshmi installed at your home, do their snan, abhishek and shringar, and then — if you have the means — offer with a hundred and eight lotus flowers; if not that, then a hundred and eight roses; if not that either, then a hundred and eight white flowers; and if not even that, then a hundred and eight bilva patra, doing a hundred and eight paths of Bhagavati and offering with each.
How is each offering made during the hundred and eight paths?
Take one lotus flower in the hand, the speaker says, and thereafter, having done one paath of the Mahalakshmi Ashtak, offer it to her; or take a bilva patra and offer it, or do it with a lotus flower, or take a rose petal and offer it, or offer a rose. Doing it in this way, do a hundred and eight paths — Bhagavati bestows special grace.
At what hour should this paath be done?
This work has to be done after the rising of the Moon, the speaker says — although moonrise is occurring in the evening itself, do it at least after eight or nine o'clock. If there is a desire to do it at midnight, then do it then.
Where can the Mahalakshmi Ashtak be found?
Do the ashtak certainly, the speaker says, do not leave the ashtak out; it is universally available and its Sanskrit is very easy. Search on the channel — search for "Indrakrit Lakshmi Stotra" and "Mahalakshmi Ashtakam Grih Tantra" written like that on YouTube and it will come; its PDF will also be found, or download it from anywhere on the internet. Do a hundred and eight paths of it without fail.
How should the family be seated, and how is the vigraha bathed?
Suppose there are five people in the family — all five may sit comfortably, the speaker says; the only thing to watch is that nobody's face should be towards the south direction. First give Bhagavati her bath and do her shringar. If you do not know the mantras there is no difficulty: bathe her while reciting the Mahalakshmi Ashtak.
How are the hundred and eight paths divided among five people?
Now a hundred and eight paths of the Mahalakshmi Ashtak have to be done, and you are five persons, the speaker says — so divide a hundred and eight by five. If each recites twenty times it becomes a hundred; then for the remaining eight each recites once more, or somebody recites three times, somebody recites more, and the hundred and eight paths are completed. Less paath had to be done and less time was spent, but when the paath is collective its capacity increases.
What does the completed programme for the night consist of?
So the naivedya is done, the sixteen lamps are done, her sahasra archan is done, the paath of the Mahalakshmi Ashtak is done, the speaker says — and if more is to be done, then do the Mahalakshmi mala mantra, not much, just five times. If you do this much, then take the whole time as well: do it from evening up to night.
Should joining the group anushthan replace one's own home practice?
All of this will take place tomorrow, and you may join in if you wish, the speaker says — but what has to be done at home by yourself is not to be abandoned. By yourself do the Mahalakshmi Ashtak, the sahasrarchan of Lakshmi ji, or the sahasrarchan of Lakshmi Narayan; do it with Ganapati ji, or do it independently of Bhagavati alone. But do the sahasrarchan; and even if that too is not possible, then certainly do a hundred and eight paths of the Mahalakshmi Ashtak and offer them to her.
How should one search for the Mahalakshmi Ashtak?
Search for the Mahalakshmi Ashtak, the speaker says — it will come up by writing "Mahalakshmi Ashtak Grih Chandra".
What does the phalshruti of the Indrakrit Lakshmi Stotra promise?
Asked whether he should do the Indrakrit Lakshmi Stotra tomorrow, the speaker says: absolutely, do it — and read its phalshruti. What is obtained by doing one paath, what will be obtained from two, what will happen from three. Brother, the destruction of enemies is in it too. The destruction of abhichar is also in it. The obtaining of Lakshmi is also in it. Victory too is in it. Everything is there in the Indrakrit Lakshmi Stotra.
Staying awake is not wandering about: the Indra-krita Mahalakshmi Ashtak is recited through the night.
Staying awake is not to wander about like a ghost, he says. At that time, if you do nothing else, then the Indra-krita Mahalakshmi Ashtak, which is "नमस्तस्तु महामाय श्री पीठे सुर पूजते शंख चक्र गदा हस्ते महालक्ष्मी नमोस्तुते" — this is the stotra of Mahalakshmi, the Ashtak. Do its paath all night. How its samput vidhi vidhan is to be done, he says, will be discussed the next day.
Sanskrit learning is no bar — the paath of the Mahalakshmi Ashtak is an ordinary one anyone can do.
His wish, he says, is this: those who are not very learned in Sanskrit paath — no matter. But the paath of the Mahalakshmi Ashtak everyone can do; it is an ordinary one.
While the eight-form vidhan runs there, the samput vidhan of the Mahalakshmi Ashtak is to be done at home that same day.
If on their side they are performing so elaborate a vidhan of all eight Lakshmi forms of Mahalakshmi, he says, then while you are at it, do the samput vidhan of the Mahalakshmi Ashtak at your own house that day too. And if they do not come live the next day, it will be written out and posted for listeners to follow.
All night if possible, or nine, 21 or 27 times — 108 being beyond most — either havanatmak or paathatmak, but done.
Do that vidhan either all night long, or else as much as is possible — even if only once; let it become nine times, 21 times, 108 times. He says 108 will not be manageable, he understands that much, but 27 times can be done comfortably. If you wish to make it havanatmak, make it havanatmak; if it is to be paathatmak, make it paathatmak — but do it.
A samputit Mahalakshmi Ashtakam path — should it be offered to Durga or to Mahalakshmi?
The speaker says to offer it to both. The listener describes a Mahalakshmi Ashtakam samputit by the chakra vidhi thirty-two namavali, the fourth adhyaya, and again samputit by the Chakradhara stotra, and asks for whom the samarpan should be made.
Can the Lakshmi Ashtak be perfected in one night of Diwali?
Absolutely do it, he says. If you want to do it in one night, then in one night — what vidhan is there to describe further? Only a hundred and eight readings can be done in one night; what more than that will you do?
Who may recite the Shri Sukta and Purush Sukta?
Asked which Vishnu Narayan anushthan may be done in the five days of Diwali, he says he will put that out separately tomorrow. To Abhishek Srivastava ji he says: the Shri Sukta, the Lakshmi Sukta, the Purush Sukta — all these should be done after learning the uccharan, and should be done only by those who wear the yajnopavit. Others should do the pauranik stotras — do the Lakshmi Ashtak, do the Mahalakshmi Ashtak. The path of a Sukta is vedokta, so vedokta people should do it. This, he says, is not according to him but according to shastra; he is only giving you the information, and you are free to take the decision. If, knowing the truth, you do wrong, that is your wish.
Does sutak attach when a sister has a baby?
No, Amit ji, he says: she has had kanyadan done, the panigrahan sanskar happened; she has become the Lakshmi of their house, she has departed from your house. So when her child is born, or when a death happens at their house, its sutak does not attach at your place. But one condition should certainly be accepted, and it does happen: if a young woman is the only child of her parents, her marriage has taken place and she is in her sasural, then her husband bears her whole responsibility, and of his own in-laws too — then that whole rule will have to be observed by all the in-laws' side as well; the entire rule applies here too. Apart from this, if she has brothers and all, then this rule does not apply here.
What should be done for money troubles — Shri Suktam or Kanakdhara?
Asked about the Shri Suktam and the Kanakdhara Suktam, their use, the installation of a Shri Yantra and the Kanakdhara Yantra, and for how long and on which path one should walk, he tells Uday Pratap ji that if you wish to walk the Vedic path — because these are Vedic suktas — then you should know the correct pronunciation of the Shri Suktam. If you wear the yajnopavit and are initiated, that is most excellent; only then, doing prayogas of this kind correctly, will you obtain benefit. Otherwise, if this is not so, you should recite Bhagavati Lakshmi's Indrakrit Ashtalakshmi Stotra or the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam, and you will obtain benefit from that as well.
Can a Sulemani mantra be used for wealth?
Asked whether a Sulemani mantra may be done for gaining wealth, the speaker refuses. Why do you want to do a Sulemani mantra, he asks — will the mantras of Hindus fall short, is there a shortage of mantras in Sanatan culture? Crores upon crores of mantras have been made siddh here; where is it in Sulemani that you want to go? He says the wish itself is dosha-ridden and it should absolutely not be done.
Can the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam be done in place of the mala mantra?
The Mahalakshmi Ashtakam can also be done, the speaker says, but the Lakshmi mala mantra is already on the channel and doing that would have been more fitting. It becomes Lakshmi Narasimha: Bhagavati Lakshmi stands with Bhagavan Narasimha in his saumya form, as one of the eight shaktis. So since she is a shakti, her dashansh will be done and that will be suitable. Pratyangira too is used in this way, he says, but she will come into the most fierce.
If ten relatives were asked to do an anushthan and some did not, what of it?
A listener says he phoned ten relatives to do an anushthan of the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam and one or two did not do it. The speaker answers that if all ten did it, then everyone would become a crorepati; and if everyone became a crorepati, the challenge among themselves would become quite tough. That is why, he says, Bhagwati too runs her maya — how would she have everyone do it?
Why the Lakshmi kalash is charged with Mahalakshmi Ashtak and not Shri Suktam
The speaker says the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam has endless glory and is the best choice here. The Shri Suktam, he says, may be recited by men who wear the Yajnopavita; others have to learn it, because it is a Rigvedic sukta and the svara must be pronounced correctly, so most people cannot do it, and women should not do it at all, it being forbidden in many places and said so by scholars. When the three worlds had lost their Shri through the curse of Durvasa rishi, it was this Ashtak that Indra recited; Mahalakshmi was pleased and, as a blessing, appeared again from the samudra manthan as one of the fourteen ratnas, which is why she is called the daughter of the Kshir Samudra. So everyone is to charge the items with the Mahalakshmi Ashtak alone, the one beginning "Namastestu Mahamaye Shripithe Surapujite, Shankha Chakra Gada Haste Mahalakshmi Namostute"; he says he will put a PDF link in the description.
Charging the sixteen items with the Mahalakshmi Ashtak and the order of filling the kalash
After the sankalp and remembering Guru and Ganesha, the speaker gives two ways to charge each set of eight: hold one item in a closed fist at the heart, recite the whole Mahalakshmi Ashtakam once, drop it in the Kalash, and repeat for each of the eight; or hold all eight together and recite the Ashtak once. Both are fine, but one item at a time is best, and anyone whose kula badly needs Shri, whose Lakshmi has turned away, who is sunk in debt, should give it the full time. The order of dropping in: bhimseni Kapoor first, then kali Haldi, kamal gatta and the haldi knots, every Aushadhi before anything else; then Supari, kaudi, copper nails, Hakik, rakta Gunja and Chandan; last the mirror after one Ashtak, and the camphor on top of everything. Then close the lid or tie the kalash with cloth, bind and decorate it with a Rudraksha mala if one has one, dress it with dhoop, lamp and flowers, and complete the installation with Mahalakshmi path, puja and Havan.
Daily practice after the Mahalakshmi kalash is installed
Every day, the speaker says, sit before the installed Kalash and recite the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam at least eight or else sixteen times; Mahalakshmi certainly gives her kripa within a year. Nothing in this kalash spoils: in the dhaniya version the coriander goes bad if it gets damp, since humidity differs from region to region, but here only items that do not spoil have been used, along with the most divine use of the mantra. Install the kalash yourself at home and see, he says: nothing will go bad, it will last a long time, and the kripa of Bhagavati Mahalakshmi will come.
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