मंत्र · Lakshmi

Sri Suktam

श्री सूक्तम्

The Sri Suktam is one of the most sacred and ancient hymns dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, preserved in the Khilani — the appendix supplement to the Rigveda associated with its fifth Mandala. The word "Sri" (श्री) denotes auspiciousness, splendour, prosperity, and the divine feminine principle of abundance. The hymn comprises 16 mantras (rchas) addressed to Jataveda (the fire deity) and Sri-Lakshmi herself, invoking her golden radiance, lotus grace, and the removal of Alaksmi — the force of poverty, inauspiciousness, and want. The Sri Suktam holds a place of supreme importance in the Shri Vaishnava tradition as well as in pan-Hindu worship: it is chanted during the Lakshmi Puja on Diwali, during Vaibhava Lakshmi Vrata, and as part of daily Vedic worship in Agamic temples across South and North India. The text is notable for its vivid imagery — Lakshmi is described as golden-hued (hiranyavarna), clad in garlands of gold and silver, dwelling on the lotus (padmini), and as the mother who bestows cattle, horses, and progeny. The fire deity Jataveda is invoked as the intermediary through whom Sri is summoned into the worshipper's home and lineage, a pattern identical to the Vedic soma-fire rituals. Chanting the Sri Suktam — ideally 16 times daily for 16 Fridays — is considered a powerful sadhana for the blessings of wealth, harmony, health, and spiritual grace. The hymn is not merely a prayer for material wealth but an invocation of the divine feminine principle that underlies all abundance, beauty, and right order (rita) in the cosmos.

Sanskrit · 16 verses

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Verse 1
हिरण्यवर्णां हरिणीं सुवर्णरजतस्रजाम्। चन्द्रां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह॥
Verse 2
तां म आवह जातवेदो लक्ष्मीमनपगामिनीम्। यस्यां हिरण्यं विन्देयं गामश्वं पुरुषानहम्॥
Verse 3
अश्वपूर्वां रथमध्यां हस्तिनादप्रबोधिनीम्। श्रियं देवीमुपह्वये श्रीर्मा देवी जुषताम्॥
Verse 4
कां सोऽस्मिताम् हरिणीं कुवलयिनीं। आर्द्रां पुष्करिणीं पुष्टिं पिङ्गलां पद्ममालिनीम्। चन्द्रां प्रभासां यशसा ज्वलन्तीं श्रियं लोके देवजुष्टामुदाराम्। तां पद्मिनीमीं शरणमहं प्रपद्ये ऽलक्ष्मीर्मे नश्यतां त्वां वृणे॥
Verse 5
आदित्यवर्णे तपसोऽधिजातो वनस्पतिस्तव वृक्षोऽथ बिल्वः। तस्य फलानि तपसानुदन्तु मायान्तरायाश्च बाह्या अलक्ष्मीः॥
Verse 6
उपैतु मां देवसखः कीर्तिश्च मणिना सह। प्रादुर्भूतोऽस्मि राष्ट्रेऽस्मिन् कीर्तिमृद्धिं ददातु मे॥
Verse 7
क्षुत्पिपासामलां ज्येष्ठामलक्ष्मीं नाशयाम्यहम्। अभूतिमसमृद्धिं च सर्वां निर्णुद मे गृहात्॥
Verse 8
गन्धद्वारां दुराधर्षां नित्यपुष्टां करीषिणीम्। ईश्वरीं सर्वभूतानां तामिहोपह्वये श्रियम्॥
Verse 9
मनसः काममाकूतिं वाचः सत्यमशीमहि। पशूनां रूपमन्नस्य मयि श्रीः श्रयतां यशः॥
Verse 10
कर्दमेन प्रजाभूता मयि सम्भव कर्दम। श्रियं वासय मे कुले मातरं पद्ममालिनीम्॥
Verse 11
आपः सृजन्तु स्निग्धानि चिक्लीत वस मे गृहे। नि च देवीं मातरं श्रियं वासय मे कुले॥
Verse 12
आर्द्रां यः करिणीं यष्टिं सुवर्णां हेममालिनीम्। सूर्यां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह॥
Verse 13
आर्द्रां पुष्करिणीं पुष्टिं पिङ्गलां पद्ममालिनीम्। चन्द्रां प्रभासां यशसा ज्वलन्तीं श्रियं लोके देवजुष्टामुदाराम्। तां पद्मिनीमीं शरणमहं प्रपद्ये ऽलक्ष्मीर्मे नश्यतां त्वां वृणे॥
Verse 14
तां म आवह जातवेदो लक्ष्मीमनपगामिनीम्। यस्यां हिरण्यं प्रभूतं गावो दास्योऽश्वान् विन्देयं पुरुषानहम्॥
Verse 15
यः शुचिः प्रयतो भूत्वा जुहुयादाज्यमन्वहम्। सूक्तं पञ्चदशर्चं च श्रीकामः सततं जपेत्॥
Mangalacharana
पद्मानने पद्मविपद्मपत्रे पद्मप्रिये पद्मदलायताक्षि। विश्वप्रिये विश्वमनोनुकूले त्वत्पादपद्मं मयि सन्निधत्स्व॥

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Frequently Asked Questions about Sri Suktam

What is the Sri Suktam?

The Sri Suktam is a sacred Vedic hymn of 16 mantras (rchas) dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, prosperity, beauty, and auspiciousness. "Sri" (श्री) is one of the most ancient names and concepts in Hindu tradition, denoting divine radiance, abundance, and the auspicious feminine principle. The hymn invokes Lakshmi through the intermediary of Jataveda (the sacred fire), describing her with vivid imagery — golden-hued, lotus-born, moon-like, and royal — while simultaneously banishing Alaksmi, the personification of poverty and inauspiciousness. It is one of the most widely chanted Vedic hymns in Hindu worship, recited at Lakshmi Puja, Diwali, Friday devotions, and Grihapravesh (housewarming) ceremonies.

Which Veda does the Sri Suktam come from?

The Sri Suktam belongs to the Rigveda Khilani — the supplementary appendix (khila) to the Rigveda that was associated with the fifth Mandala (book) of the Rigveda. The Khilani are ancient supplementary texts that were always chanted alongside the main Rigveda samhita but were not included in the core 1,028 suktas. The Sri Suktam's Vedic affiliation is confirmed by its use of the Vedic language register, its metre, and its invocation of Jataveda — the Vedic fire deity — as the divine intermediary. It is classified as a Rigvedic sukta and is recited with Vedic svaras (tones) in the traditional manner. Some scholars date the core mantras to the late Vedic period (circa 1000–600 BCE), though the hymn's composition likely developed over generations of Vedic tradition.

What are the benefits of chanting the Sri Suktam?

The traditional and scriptural benefits of chanting the Sri Suktam include the arrival and permanent establishment of Lakshmi (prosperity, wealth, abundance) in one's life and home; the removal of Alaksmi (poverty, inauspiciousness, bad luck, and disease); the blessing of cattle, gold, horses, and progeny in the Vedic sense — meaning livelihood, wealth, energy, and flourishing descendants; fame and glory (kirti and yasha); and the divine favour of Lakshmi as the cosmic sovereign of all beings. The phala-shruti verse (mantra 15) specifically states that one who performs daily homa with ghee and chants this 15-verse sukta continuously with purity of body and mind shall attain Sri. Beyond material results, devotees report that regular chanting cultivates a deep inner sense of contentment, gratitude, and connection to the divine feminine principle that underlies all of existence.

How is the Sri Suktam recited?

The traditional method of Sri Suktam recitation involves the following elements: First, ritual purification — the devotee bathes, wears clean clothes, and sets up a worship space with a lamp (diya), flowers (especially lotuses or lotus-like flowers), incense, and an image or yantra of Lakshmi. Second, the chanting is ideally performed facing east or north. Third, for the complete rite (homa), ghee (clarified butter) is offered into the sacred fire after each mantra, as specified in the phala-shruti verse. Fourth, the mantras are traditionally chanted with Vedic svaras (the udatta, anudatta, and svarita tonal accents of Rigvedic recitation), though most devotees today chant without full svaras. The standard recommendation is to chant all 16 mantras once or three times daily, with Friday (Shukravar) being the most auspicious day for Lakshmi worship. For a dedicated sadhana, chanting for 16 consecutive Fridays is considered especially powerful. The Sri Suktam is also recited as part of the Vaibhava Lakshmi Vrata and during the Kojagari Purnima (full moon of Ashvin), the night especially sacred to Lakshmi.

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