Laxmi Pujan: Invoking the Goddess the Right Way!

Happy Diwali!

The Festival of Lights is being celebrated all over with joy and zeal. Goddess Laxmi is venerated on the main day of Diwali. She is the harbinger of wealth and prosperity. Hence, we perform pooja (worship ritual) to seek the Goddess’ blessings and please Her.

When we look at wealthy people around us, we naturally feel that the Goddess is pleased with them. Is this true though?

Say, a person is very affluent, but he’s all the time driven by the need to acquire more, and preserve more. Hence, he’s never satisfied and keeps craving for more. He is always preoccupied with profit and loss. Possession of wealth makes him arrogant and the fear of losing his wealth makes him restless. Does all this indicate that the Goddess is really pleased?

On the other hand, we have another person, who may have comparatively less money, but leads a life of contentment. He is relaxed and happy in his faith that when situations are dire, necessary funds will be naturally arranged for him. Due to this faith, he gets to see miracles every time he faces a difficult situation. This in turn leads to strengthening of his faith.

This indicates that when the Goddess is really pleased with us, we don’t remember her. Then we don’t obsess over money all the time; fortune smiles on us and we lead a happy and contented life.

When we pray to the Goddess with this understanding, then our prayer shall be as follows:

O Goddess Laxmi,
I truly wish to please you.
When You are pleased,
we don’t feel the need to remember You.
When You are not pleased,
we worry and crave for wealth.
Hence, please grace us with Your abundance,
much before we feel the need to remember You.
When you grace us with Your presence,
please also get Satyanarayana – the Lord of Truth;
so that we receive wealth with detachment
and wisdom devoid of arrogance.
Gratitude to You!

By praying with this understanding, we can indeed please the Goddess of Prosperity.