Sri Sooktam: - (Hymn to Sri or the Goddess of Prosperity or Lakshmi)

O Jataveda (Agni, the Fire God)! Bring unto me Lakshmi who resembles a doe of golden colour, who is adorned with garlands of silver and gold, delightful like the moon and abounding in riches.

O Jataveda! Bring unto me that Lakshmi who will not desert me so that I may obtain the gold, cows, horses and followers bestowed by her.

I invoke that Goddess of Prosperity who comes with horses in the front and chariots in the middle and whose coming is announced by the trumpeting of elephants. May that Goddess of Prosperity come and bless me.

I invoke that Goddess of Prosperity whose nature is bliss, who wears a gentle smile, who is surrounded by gold on all sides, who is extremely benignant, lustrous and always contented. She makes those who worship her contented and is of the colour of a lotus and seated on a lotus.

I seek refuge at the feet of the Goddess of Prosperity who is bright as the moon, whose fame blazes like a fire in the world, who is adorned by the Devas and who is extremely generous. May my poverty disappear. I invoke thee again.

O Goddess who art bright as the sun! That noble tree of Thine known as bilva came in to existence as a result of thy austeries. (tapas). May its fruits destroy my impurities of mind and outer features of poverty with Thy grace.

May the friend of the Devas, (Kubera, the Lord of Wealth, who is a friend of Mahadeva or Siva) come to me with fame and wealth. May he grant me who am living in this kingdom, fame and riches.

I shall by They grace destroy that distressing poverty, the first born in the form of hunger and thirst, (i.e., which prevents the advent of prosperity). Dispel from my house every form of want and insufficiency.

I invoke that Goddess of Prosperity, the controller of all beings, who is known by her fragrance, who is invincible, who is always full of wealth and fertility.

O Goddess of Prosperity! May we obtain the desires of our heart, our longings for food and milk products, and may we utter only truthful words. Let us attain glory.

O Kardama! Make her who was born to Kardama (i.e. to you) abide with me. Make the Goddess of Prosperity who is the mother of the universe and wears garlands of lotuses, dwell in our family.

Let the waters produce oily products (like butter) in my house. O Chiklita, dwell in my house and make the Goddess of Prosperity, the Divine Mother, also dwell in my family.

O Jataveda! Bring to me the extremely benign Lakshmi who is reddish in complexion, who dwells in lakes and who possesses the Moon’s brilliance and gold in abundance.

O Jataveda! Bring to me the extremely benign Lakshmi of a golden complexion who dwells in lakes, who is the bestower of plenty, who wears a garland of gold, who is resplendent like the Sun and abounds in wealth.

O Jataveda! Bring to me that Lakshmi who will not forsake me and by whose grace I may obtain in plenty gold, cows, women servants, horses and men servants.

He who is desirous of becoming prosperous should, after making himself pure and controlling his senses, make daily offerings of melted butter in the fire. He should also repeat always the above stanzas of mantras.

O Thou whose face is like a lotus, whose thighs resemble the lotus, whose eyes are like a lotus and who is born of a lotus! Bless me, O Goddess with lotus-like eyes, so that I may attain happiness.

Thou who art extremely rich givest horses, givest cows, givest riches. May riches come to me O Goddess, who grantest all prayers.

O Mother of all beings, grant me sons, grandsons, wealth, grains, elephants, horses, goats, cows, chariots and long life.

We meditate upon Lakshmi, the supreme Goddess, the controller of all, brilliant as the sun and moon and fire.

By your grace may Agni grants us riches, may Vayu (the wind-god) grants us riches, may Surya (the sun god) grants us riches, may the Vasus grants us riches, may Indra and Brihaspati grants us riches, may Varuna (the water-god) grants us riches.

O Vainateya, drink the soma (rasa). Let the Destroyer of vritra (Indra) drink the soma. Let the other gods who drink soma grant me riches required for conducting the soma (sacrifice).

The devotees of the Goddess of Prosperity who have earned religious merit are not affected by anger, envy, avarice or other evil thoughts.

O Night covering the light, May the lightnings of the cloud in the Heaven pour down! Let all seeds grow! Protect!

O Goddess who art fond of lotus, who belongs to the highest order of women known as Padminis, who holds a lotus in Thy hand, who art seated on a lotus, who art loved by the whole world and who pleases the minds of all beings! Be pleased to place Thy lotus feed upon me (my head).

May that Lakshmi born of a lotus and seated on a lotus, with full hips, eyes like the petals of a lotus, deep and round navel, bent with the fullness of her breasts, wearing bright garments, bathed every day with water in golden and bejeweled pots by celestial elephants, with a lotus in her hand, ever dwell in my house with all auspicious qualities.

I worship Lakshmi, the daughter of the ocean of milk, the queen of Sriranga, whom all the celestial damsels serve, the sole seed and sprout of the world, whose slightest look has endowed Brahma, Indra and the God who wears Ganga (Siva) with the powers they now possess, the mother of the three worlds, she who was born of a lotus and is the consort of Mukunda (Vishnu).

May Laksmi the possessor of Siddhis or the supernatural powers, Lakshmi the bestower of liberation, Lakshmi who grants victory and is known as Saraswati, Lakshmi the Goddess of Prosperity, Lakshmi the granter of boons, be always gracious to me.

I worship the Goddess of the world who holds in her hands the noble ankusa (a weapon generally used to control and guide an elephant) and a rope called paasa, whose hand has the pose of protection against fear, who is seated on a lotus, who is lustrous like ten million rising suns and who is the primal being.

Obeisance to Thee, O Goddess Narayani, Tryambika, who art the abode of all auspicious qualities, who art auspiciousness itself, who fulfills all the desires of her devotees, who art the only refuge of every one.

We shall try to know the great Goddess. We shall meditate on the consort of Vishnu. May Lakshmi guide us!

May the Goddess of Prosperity grant me, her devotee, lustrous looks, longevity, good health, grains, wealth, cattle, many sons and a long life!

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