Laxmi Puja, also known as Diwali or Deepavali, is one of the most significant and widely celebrated festivals in India. It is a festival that honors and worships Goddess Laxmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, prosperity, and abundance. Laxmi Puja holds immense cultural, spiritual, and social importance and is eagerly awaited by people across the country. Let us delve into the essence of Laxmi Puja and understand the rituals, beliefs, and significance associated with this joyous festival.
Laxmi Puja is usually celebrated on the third day of the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November), which coincides with the new moon night. The festival is an occasion to welcome and seek the blessings of Goddess Laxmi, who is believed to bring fortune, success, and material well-being to households and businesses. It is a time when families come together to worship and express gratitude for the blessings they have received and to invoke the goddess for continued prosperity in their lives.
| # | Date | Title | Content |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oct. 28, 2023 | Kojagori Laxmi Puja | In West Bengal, Orissa and Assam, the most important day to worship Goddess Lakshmi falls on the full moon day in lunar month Ashwin. |
Preparations for Laxmi Puja begin days in advance. Homes and surroundings are thoroughly cleaned and decorated to welcome the goddess. Intricate rangoli designs are created at the entrance, using vibrant colors and flower petals, to invite the positive energy and grace of Laxmi. Earthen lamps (diyas) are lit, symbolizing the triumph of light over darkness and the dispelling of negative forces.
On the day of Laxmi Puja, devotees wake up early and take a ritualistic bath, signifying purification of the body and mind. The puja rituals commence with the installation of a clay idol or a picture of Goddess Laxmi on a specially decorated altar. The idol is adorned with beautiful clothes, jewelry, and flowers, and devotees offer prayers, incense, and sweets. Chants of hymns and mantras fill the air, creating an atmosphere of reverence and devotion.
During the puja, a special offering called "bhog" is prepared and presented to the goddess. It usually consists of traditional sweets, fruits, and other delicacies. This offering is later distributed among family members and guests as prasad, a blessed food that is believed to carry the blessings of the goddess.
Beyond the materialistic aspect, Laxmi Puja carries a deeper spiritual significance. It reminds us to cultivate gratitude, humility, and generosity in our lives. The festival teaches us the value of hard work, discipline, and ethical practices in order to attain true wealth and prosperity. It emphasizes that wealth is not just limited to material possessions but also encompasses spiritual richness, inner peace, and harmony.
Laxmi Puja is more than just a religious festival; it is a celebration of hope, renewal, and abundance. It serves as a reminder to strive for prosperity and success while upholding values of integrity and righteousness. The festival unites people from different backgrounds, fostering a sense of harmony and social cohesion.
In the villages, a pot made of bamboo-canes measuring the paddy known as Nana' is filled up to the brink with freshly harvest paddy. Rice and lentils are also kept with the paddy. The `Mana' is the symbol of Mahalakshmi. Adoration of the goddess is done by offering fruits, coconut, banana, doob-grass, amla, curd, turmeric, flowers, incense etc. It is customary to read out the Odia text Lakshmi Purana while performing the puja.
Laxmi Puja is a joyous festival that honors and seeks the blessings of Goddess Laxmi, the deity of wealth and prosperity. It is a time for families to come together, worship, and express gratitude for the blessings they have received. Laxmi Puja teaches us to embrace abundance with humility, integrity, and generosity, and reminds us of the importance of inner wealth and spiritual well-being.
These cookies are necessary for the website to operate. Our website cannot function without these cookies and they can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.
These cookies allow us to measure and report on website activity by tracking page visits, visitor locations and how visitors move around the site. The information collected does not directly identify visitors. We drop these cookies to help us analyse the data.
These cookies allow our site to carry few functionality correctly in order to serve you better. We drop these cookies to help us to maintain our site traffic.
Marketing cookies help us provide you with personalised and relevant services or advertising, and track the effectiveness of our digital marketing activities. Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.
