Category: Hindu deities

Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism.

Vara Lakshmi Devi - Boon Giver

Vara Lakshmi Devi – Boon Giver

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Goddess Lakshmi

Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in eight different forms. The group of these eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi is called Ashta Lakshmi.

The eight divine forms are:

  1. Adi-Lakshmi: The primeval Goddess
  2. Dhana-Lakshmi: The Goddess of prosperity and wealth
  3. Dhanya-Lakshmi: The Goddess of Foodgrains
  4. Gaja-Lakshmi: The goddess of strength, power and royalty
  5. Santana-Lakshmi: The Goddess of Progeny
  6. Dhairya-Lakshmi: The Goddess of Courage
  7. Vidya-Lakshmi: The Goddess of Knowledge
  8. Vijaya-Lakshmi: The Goddess of victory

Ashta lakshmi

Vara Lakshmi

The equivalent form of Ashta Lakshmi is Vara Lakshmi. Vara means boon. Hence she is called ‘Boon Giver’ Lakshmi. She grants wealth, strength, progeny, food grains, Knowledge, courage, and victory to those who worship her during Sravana Masam, especially on Fridays.

Auspicious Month

A full moon day occurring with the Sravanam star is Known as Sravana Masam. It is one of the auspicious months of the year for married women to perform Vara Lakshmi Vratam and Mangala Gouri Vratam for their sowbhaghyam.

Mangala Gouri vratam/nomu is performed by newly married women on all Tuesdays of Sravana Masam. They worship Sravana Mangala Gouri for a happy, prosperous, blissful married life and the welfare of their husband.

Where does Goddess Lakshmi Devi reside?

Goddess Lakshmidevi resides in the

  • Cows,
  • Lotus,
  • Elephants,
  • Puja room,
  • Flowers,
  • Auspicious rituals,
  • Lighting Lamps (Deepam),
  • clean and tidy houses, where the Vedic recitations are done.

Legend

According to Skanda Purana, once Goddess Parvathi asked Lord Shiva to tell about a Vrata which is beneficial to women. Then Lord Shiva mentioned Vara Lakshmi Vratam.

To illustrate the importance of the Vratam Lord Shiva narrates the story – Once there lived a Brahmin woman named Charumathi in the kingdom of Magadha. She was living in a small village, Kundina with her husband and parents-in-law. She was very much devoted to her family to a great extent.

Pleased with Charumathi’s devotion towards her husband and parents-in-law, Goddess Lakshmi appeared in her dream and asked her to perform Vara Lakshmi vratam. She explained to her the procedure of the vratam. The pious Charumathi invited all her neighbours, friends and relatives and perform Vara Lakshmi vratam as directed by Goddess Lakshmi. Soon after the pooja, all people who participated in the pooja were blessed with wealth and prosperity. Since then this vratam had become popular and spread to next generations.

Mainly this vratam is performed in Andhra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and some regions of Maharashtra.

Alamelu Manga
Tiruchanoor Ammavaru – Goddess Padmavathi Devi

Process of Vara Lakshmi Vratham

  • On this day women should wake up before dawn and clean their houses and courtyard. Draw rangoli with attractive colors in front of the house. Also, decorate the entrance with a festoon of mango leaves and threshold by applying turmeric and vermilion paste.
  • Next clean the lamps, bronze, steel, or silver pots, and other pooja vessels.
  • Take an oil bath.
  • Wear new clothes and ornaments.
  • Now get ready to prepare naivedyam. Cook payasam and pulihora, whatever you can do with devotion, can be placed in front of the Goddess.
  • The special items to be cooked should be an odd number.
  • After finishing cooking inside Pooja Mandir, draw rangoli at the west side wall and place a palavelli ( a plank having four pillars and top ) there. Tie little plantains to the front pillars of palavelli.
  • Also, hang flower garlands to all four sides of palavelli. Inside palavelli keep a banana leaf. Pour two cups of rice on the leaf and spread it evenly.
  • Now take bronze/steel/silver pot and pour some rice, nine dry date fruits, nine betel nuts, nine dry boiled turmeric tubers, nine one rupee coins, one gold coin, one silver coin, a flower, a pinch of vermilion powder in it.
  • Put Turmeric and Vermilion on four sides of the pot. Apply turmeric, chandanam and vermilion to a coconut and place it on top of the pot surrounded by mango leaves and mogali petals.
  • The tail of the coconut should be upward. Fix the Goddess’ face against the coconut tightly against the pot with a thread to avoid falling.
  • Decorate the pot and the face of the Goddess with the dress, gold ornaments, and flowers. Now place this decorated pot over the rice on the banana leaf inside palavelli.
  • Take a blouse piece, bangles, and thambulam on a plate and keep it beside the Goddess.
  • Offer a garland and light the lamps at the Goddess.
  • Before Vara Lakshmi pooja Ganesha pooja should be performed for giving strength to perform Vara Lakshmi vratam without any obstacle. Now say sankalpam.
  • Do kalasa pooja and dhyanam and then Avahanam. Next, do orderly Anga pooja, shodashopachara pooja, Ashtothara satha namavali pooja and thoragandi (to sacred thread) pooja with different fragment flowers, sacred perfumed rice, chandanam, turmeric and vermilion powder.
  • Now offer naivedyam and harati.
  • Read Mantra pushpam. Now it is a time for thorabandanam. Tie one sacred thread (made of nine strings and nine knots) to Goddess Vara Lakshmi and another to your right wrist chanting the following mantra.

Bandhami dakshina haste
Navasuthram shubhapradam
Putrapauthradi vruddhincha
Sowbhagyam dehi mey rame

  • Read vrata katha (story). With this, the morning pooja will be over.
  • In the evening women from the neighbourhood should be invited and offer thambulam.
  • The women should sing hymns in praise of Goddess Vara Lakshmi and give neerajanam. At night offer fruits and milk as naivedyam.

On the Next Day of POOJA

  • Next day a small pooja called ‘Punah pooja’ should be performed to mark the conclusion of the vratam.
  • After completion of the pooja, Goddess Lakshmi should be lifted from the pooja place and kept safe for next year’s pooja.
  • The coconut which is used on the top of the kalasam should be broken and the water in it should be taken as theertham.
  • The broken coconut should be used to prepare a sweet only but not for curries. With this Vara Lakshmi Vratam will be completed successfully.

Vara Lakshmi Vrata books and CD’s are available at the market. One can Perform Vara Lakshmi vratam with the help of a book or CD if the priest is not available at that time. Also, those who can not perform pooja at home can attend samuhika Vara Lakshmi vratam performed at the temples.

Lord Surya

Lord Surya

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Lord Surya

radiates the world like an infinite Wheel of Light and revolves round the three ‘lokas’. He is the marvellous and direct embodiment of Trinity and Time.

He controls the movements of Planets, Subsequently representing the miraculous nature of Time being visible every moment and creates Days, Nights, Fortnights, Months, Seasons, ‘Ayanas’, and Years.

Saptaswaradha marthandam prachandam kasyapatmajam
Swetha padma dharam devam tam suryam pranamamyaham

The infinite-rayed Prabhakara is like an eye to the entire universe.  With his unique illumination, one can see boundless Nature and the stupendous creation of God. Lord Aditya is eulogized as the Eye of the Universe and the Eye of the Almighty. One finds the sublime standard of sheen in the Lord.

Lord Sri Krishna confirmed in Gita that Lord Surya is similar to Himself ‘Adityanam aham Vishnum Jyothisham Raviramsuman’.

Surya Dev or Lord Surya

 

According to Mythology, many worshipped the magnificent God of Glitter for fulfilling their wishes.

  • By worshipping Lord Surya, King Satrajit obtained ‘Syamanthakamani’ which is capable of showering gigantic masses of gold.
  • Kunthi Devi, the mother of Pandavas got Karna as a son shining with ‘Kavachakundalas’ by praying to Lord Ravi.
  • Pleased with the invocation of king Dharmaraja, Lord Surya offered ‘Akshaya Patra’ to him to solve the crisis of food when the Pandavas were leading a horrible life in the forest.
  • After praying to Lord Surya, the great Sanskrit poet Mayura’s leprosy was cured.
  • Lord Rama won the battlefield by worshipping Lord Prabhakara. Lord Venkateswara, the gorgeous god of “Kaliyuga Vaikunta’ prayed to the Sun God and married Goddess Lakshmi.
  • Sage Yagnavalkya created Sukla Veda and Yajur Veda because of the grace of Lord Aditya.

Renowned as ‘Ramabhaktagresara,’ ‘Chiranjeevi’ and ‘Bhavishyadbrahma,’ Lord Hanuman became the chief disciple of Lord Surya and learned absolute knowledge from Him.

Rathasaptami is also named as Surya Jayanthi’. He moves his Chariot towards the northern direction from this day and gives blessings to devotees.

Let us pray to Lord Surya who is the direct and visible embodiment of all deities to fulfil our noble desires. Lord Surya sanctions wealth, health, progeny, education, and many accomplishments to His devotees. He protects equilibrium in Nature by His movement.

When He rises in the Sky, all movable and immovable entities will be awakened every day. He acts as the witness of ‘Karma’ by following the rule of punctuality. No one can conquer Time. Lord Surya reminds the world about the philosophy of passing Time every moment directly.

On the day of ‘Rathasapthami‘, let us have a holy bath after putting the ‘Jilledu (Arka)’ leaves on our heads and chant the following sloka to possess Lord’s benediction:

Sapta Sapta Maha Sapta Sapta Dweepa Vasundhara Saptarka Parnamaadhayasapthami Rathasapthami

Akshay Patra

Akshay Patra

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Akshay Patra – Gifted by Lord Surya

The Pandavas had a divine vessel, Akshay Patra with them during their exile that ensured that there was no paucity of food for them during their difficult days. That vessel is used to give them any food they wish unlimitedly.

They were able to provide a full-fledged feast to their guests, irrespective of their numbers, even in the dense forest. They got that vessel by the grace of Lord Surya when Yudhishter prayed to him to grant a boon ensuring food for them and their guests.

Lord Surya who was pleased with him gifted Akshay Patra and said that it would give him any quantity of food. However, once Draupadi finishes her meal, it would not work for the day.

Prayers to Lord Surya

According to Mythology, there were many who worshipped the magnificent God of Glitter to fulfill their wishes.

  • By worshipping Lord Surya, King Satrajit obtained ‘Syamanthakamani’ which is capable of showering gigantic masses of gold.
  • Kunthi Devi, the mother of Pandavas got Karna as a son shining with ‘Kavachakundalas’ by praying to Lord Ravi.
  • Pleased with the invocation of King Dharmaraja, Lord Surya offered ‘Akshaya Patra’ to him to solve the crisis of food when the Pandavas were leading a horrible life in the forest.
  • After praying to Lord Surya, the great Sanskrit poet Mayura’s leprosy was cured.
Ashta Lakshmi - Eight Kinds of Wealth

Ashta Lakshmi – Eight Kinds of Wealth

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Ashta Lakshmi

Among all the female deities in the Vedic and Puranic traditions, the source of brilliance, splendour and beauty can be seen in everything in the world because of the grace of the only Goddess i.e. Lakshmi.

Lakshmi is praised by many names such as Sri, Ramaa, Vishnupatni, Kshirasagara Putri, Kamala, Padma, Kamalalaya, Bhargavi etc. Without the kind looks of this Goddess, no one can become rich. Lakshmi is much extolled as one of the three mothers of the universe.

There are eight most popular forms of Lakshmi which are often worshipped for the fulfilment of all varied desires of the devotees. Those eight forms are called Ashta Lakshmi. They are

  • Adi Lakshmi, 
  • Dhanya Lakshmi,
  • Dhairya Lakshmi,
  • Gaja Lakshmi,
  • Santana Lakshmi,
  • Vijaya Lakshmi,
  • Vidya Lakshmi and
  • Dhana Lakshmi.

Before going into the details of the Ashta Lakshmis, it may be essential to know about the magical relation of the number eight with Goddess Lakshmi.

Ashtalakshmi Stotram (Full Song) With Lyrics

Ashtaishvaryas

  1. Dhanam – Cash and Gold,
  2. Dhanyam – Paddy,
  3. Santanam – Children,
  4. Jaya-Victory,
  5. Dhairya – Courage,
  6. Ayudha bala – Weaponry,
  7. Rajyam – Kingdom and
  8. Vahanam – Vehicles

Ashta Siddhis

  1. Anima Siddhi – Ability to become subtler than an Atom,
  2. Mahima Siddhi – Becoming Larger than the Universe,
  3. Laghima Siddhi –  Becoming lighter than the lightest particle in the world,
  4. Garima Siddhi – Heavier than the heaviest substance in the world,
  5. Ishitva Siddhi – Getting Lordship over the worlds,
  6. Vashitva Siddhi – Getting all the beings under control,
  7. Prapti Siddhi – Obtaining everything just by thinking about it and
  8. Prakamya Siddhi – Control over all desires and fulfilment of them.

Ashtavidha Sampad

The strength of Disciples, Friends, Sons, Relatives, Vehicles, Servants, Treasures of Money, Gold and Golden ornaments are called eight kinds of wealth.

Ashta Kashtas (Troubles)

Having Debts, Begging, Old age, Illicit interests, Stealing, Poverty, Illness and Living on the Remains of others food are the eight kinds of troubles.

Anyone who ever worships Goddess Lakshmi will be relieved from all the eight kinds of troubles and will get Ashta Aishvaryas,  Ashta Siddhis, Ashta Bhogas and Ashtavidha Sampad.

To bestow all these kinds of wealth and riches, Goddess Lakshmi assumes eight forms which are called Ashta Lakshmi.

Features and Powers of Ashta Lakshmi

Adi Lakshmi

This Lakshmi is the first attributed manifestation of Parashakti. She is all-pervasive and Omnipotent. She appears sitting in a Lotus with four hands holding a Lotus and a Flag in the two upper hands and bearing Abhaya Mudra and Varada Mudra with the two lower hands. She bestows confidence and peace in life.

Dhanya Lakshmi

She is the Goddess of Riches with Eight hands bearing two lotus in two hands, Abhaya Mudra and Varada Mudra in two hands, A Mace, A Sugar Cane, A Stem of corn and a bunch of bananas. She abundantly gives all kinds of food grains.

Dhairya Lakshmi

Dhairya Lakshmi is also known by the name Vara Lakshmi. For achieving any kind of stability Dhairya Lakshmi should be worshipped. She is seen with six hands holding Sankha, Chakra, Arrow, bow, Sword, Shield or a Vessel of Nectar. She is often worshipped by Royal races for fighting with courage in wars.

Gaja Lakshmi

  • She usually is seen in a lake with four hands having two elephants on either side. The elephants have some variant interpretations.
  • Some people say the two elephants are symbolic of Jnana and Vairagya.
  • Some interpret them as Dharma and Moksha. Some others say that one is the Apara Vidya and the other one is Para Vidya.
  • One who worships Gaja Lakshmi is assured of getting all these variants. In her four hands, she bears Two lotus in her upper hands and the other two hands are in Abhaya Mudra and Varada Mudra.

Santana Lakshmi

She is with four hands with two Purna Kalasas in her two upper hands and in the rest of the two hands holding a sword and shield. A child can be seen on the left side of her lap. Those who want children worship Santana Lakshmi.

Vijaya Lakshmi

She is a goddess with Sankha and Chakra in the upper hands and the two lower hands are in Abhya and Varada postures. Those who wish Victory in their respective fields worship her.

Vidya Lakshmi

Knowledge also is considered as a kind of wealth. She is seen holding two lotuses in her upper hands and the lower hands in Varada and Abhaya postures. She promises all kinds of knowledge may it be of this mundane world or of the ultimate Moksha.

Dhana Lakshmi

She is with eight hands holding Sankha, Chakra, Bow, a Golden Vessel, two lotuses in six hands and the rest of the two hands in Varada and Abhaya postures. She graces Money, Gold, Cattle, Land and all other kinds of wealth.

Places where the Goddess Lakshmi stays

  1. The houses where all kinds of worship of Gods and Goddess takes place regularly with great devotion.
  2. With the people are strict followers of their respective dharma,
  3. Places where the cows are worshipped and fed with great care
  4. Places where all the people learn and recite all four Vedas and the places where sages, monks, Yogins and elders are properly respected and honoured.

Hence to get the favour of all these eight forms of Lakshmi can be worshipped and become a sincere devotee of Goddess Lakshmi.

Surya Narayana - Sun God

Surya Narayana – Sun God

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Surya Narayana

Lord Surya Narayana is considered to be the prime of the universe. The sun rays are the source of all light in the universe. All beings are born, nurtured, and deceased due to the rays of the Sun. Lord Surya Narayana is the “Atma” of the universe. Worship of the Sun god has existed from ancient days.

Surya Bhagawan or Surya Narayana

Solar dynasty

Solar dynasty is to be the first Royal dynasty. Lord Sri Ramachandra was born in this solar dynasty. We have to worship Surya Narayana daily. Lord Sri Rama recited “Aditya Hridyam” to slay Ravanasura. Bharatiya Sampradaya insists on worshipping the Sun God.

“Aruna Mantra” is one of the significant Mantra mentioned in Vedas by praising Sun God. There are 12 Adityas in the Universe named Dwadasa Adityas. Lord Sriman Narayana resides in the middle among them.

The transition of the Sun to the zodiac called Makara (Capricorn) is called “Uttarayana” and is celebrated as “Makara Sankranti” – “Magasuddha Sapthami”. This period is very auspicious and is also dedicated to the Sun God by celebrating Rathasapthami as a festival.

Rathasapthami

Rathasapthami is equally celebrated as Makara Sankranti. It is also good to perform rituals for ancestors on this day. Any eye-related problems are resolved by praying to the Sun God. This is mentioned in Jyothisha Sastra.

One can gain healthy eyes and intellect by praying to Lord Surya Narayana. “Aroghyam Bhaskharadichyeth” which means – “Good Health is desired from Bhaskara – the Sun God”

By praying to the Sun God, one can obtain good health, mind, and intellect. When performing namaskara to the Sun God, one should recite “Surya Deva Namasthubhyam”. Sun God has a special status among Navagrahas and has special prayers for him.

Sun God is also known as Savitha as he is the source of birth.

Gayathri Mantra

Gayathri Mantra also relates to Surya Mantra. It is important to recite the Gayathri Mantra per Sun God to improve one’s intellect. Rathasapthami is an ancient festival that is to be celebrated wholeheartedly to get the grace of Lord Surya Narayana.

This would also rejuvenate our body. Sun God is not a planet, he is the Supreme being himself. When one does Namaskaram, it shows his obedience and gratitude towards others.

When performing Surya Namaskaram, our health and wealth are cherished by the blessings of Sun God. Surya Mantra, Surya Sthothram, Aruna Mantra are recited to acquire the blessings of the Sun God.

Procession of Surya Prabha Vahanam in Tirumala
Procession of Surya Prabha Vahanam in Tirumala

Cured of Leprosy

A devotee named Mayurbhatta was cured of Leprosy after praying to Lord Surya Narayana. He composed Surya Satakam in praise of Lord Surya Narayana.

Many puranas, have mentioned the worship of the Sun God which benefits health and wealth. Akshaya Patra in Mahabharata and Aditya Hridyam in Ramayana are clear examples. All the beings have to show gratitude towards the Sun God by performing daily Surya Namaskar towards the east.

*Source – Saptagiri Magazine