How To Do Lakshmi Puja On Diwali
Lakshmi Puja means prayers and traditional rituals performed in honor of Goddess Lakshmi. She is the Hindu Goddess of wealth and prosperity and on Diwali, which is Hindu New Year’s, prayers are dedicated to the Goddess. The festival and the “Puja” has a huge significance and importance among Hindus all over the world. A Puja is a very religious ritual involving reading out shlokas, prayers and performing rituals at home, office and of course at temples. At Onehowto, we tell you how to do Lakshmi Puja on Diwali.
Contents
Basic Items Of Puja
If you want to know how to do Lakshmi Puja on Diwali the traditional way, one needs to have few basic Puja items like, Roli(red color powder), uncooked rice, scent sticks, flowers, oil lamp/s, turmeric, sweets for offerings, few coins and currency notes (she is the Goddess of wealth after all) and most importantly the idol of Lakshmi.
Setting Up The Place
First set up the idol of Lakshmi. The idol needs to be placed in a raised platform. Place a red, yellow or any other bright colored cloth or paper underneath the idol. The idea is to keep the idol elevated. It must never be on the floor. To do Lakshmi Puja for Diwali you can then decorate the platform and surrounding area with flowers, Diwali candles and oil lamps. Place the coins, currency notes and sweets in front of the idol as offerings. A kalash(a small metallic pot) filled with water with mango leaves is also used, just like in many other Hindu religious ceremonies for auspiciousness. This must be placed in a small heap of raw rice. An idol of Lord Ganesha is also usually kept on the right side of the main idol. Many businessmen also keep their books of accounts in front of the idol for the goddess Lakshmi’s blessings.
The Puja
Once the ambiance is set, you can start to do the Lakshmi Puja ritual with chanting of ‘shlokas’ or ‘mantras’. In all sincerity, a follower tries to invoke the goddess for wealth and prosperity of his family along with an auspicious start of the Hindu New Year. Offering of flowers is made to each idol and the kalash while chanting mantras. Next comes the ‘Aarti’ or the hymn worshipping Lakshmi. Lastly distribute the sweets as ‘prasad’ to all participating in puja and to other non participating family members.
The Adherence To Rituals
Hinduism is pretty flexible when it comes to rituals. One can be very particular and detailed in the Puja or it may be very simple affair with just an idol and an Aarti. Shlokas can be chanted, read out loud from a book or played from a pre-recorded audio. Same goes for the ‘Aarti’. The idea of Puja is to be sincere and pray to the goddess with a pure heart and Goddess Lakshmi will answer the prayers of her followers.
Now you know how to do Lakshmi Puja on Diwali, you may also be interested in learning how to design Rangoli for Diwali or how to make a Diwali lantern at home.
If you want to read similar articles to How To Do Lakshmi Puja On Diwali, we recommend you visit our Festivities & Celebrations category.
