Why do we worship Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali?
Why families invite Goddess Lakshmi into the home on Diwali night, what she stands for, and why her blessings are about much more than money.
The 60-second answer · for ages 5–10
Goddess Lakshmi brings good things: food on the table, a happy home, kind hearts and enough to share. An old story says she rose out of the ocean, sitting on a lotus, when the gods churned it to find a magic nectar. On Diwali night we light lamps and sing to welcome her. But our elders say Goddess Lakshmi loves to live with people who are honest, hard-working and generous. So the best way to welcome her is to be like that!
For parents · the deeper why
On Diwali night, in homes across India and around the world, families perform Lakṣmī Pūjā. They light lamps, draw rangoli at the door, offer flowers and sweets, and invite Goddess Lakṣmī (लक्ष्मी) into the home.
Who is Goddess Lakshmi?
Goddess Lakṣmī is the goddess of well-being and good fortune, and the companion of Lord Viṣṇu. She is also called Śrī (श्री), a word meaning radiance, beauty and prosperity. It is the same śrī we place before names and holy places as a mark of respect.
The Purāṇas tell how the devas and asuras churned the great ocean of milk (samudra manthana) to find the nectar of immortality. Many treasures rose from the waves, and then Goddess Lakṣmī appeared, seated on a lotus. Many families remember her appearance at Diwali.
Why the lotus?
Goddess Lakṣmī is almost always shown seated on, or holding, a lotus. A lotus grows out of muddy water, yet its petals stay clean. As commonly taught, it reminds us that we can live in the busy world, work and earn and spend, and still keep a clean heart. In many pictures, coins flow from her open hand: wealth is meant to move and be shared, not hoarded.
More than money
It is easy to think Lakṣmī Pūjā is about getting rich. Our tradition says something richer. In a dialogue in the Mahābhārata, Śrī explains that she lives with people who are truthful, hard-working, self-controlled and generous, in homes that are clean and peaceful. She is drawn to qualities, not to bank balances.
Many families also honour Aṣṭa Lakṣmī, eight forms of Goddess Lakṣmī. This is a later devotional tradition and the lists vary, but they usually include food, courage, children, knowledge and success alongside wealth. Good fortune, in other words, comes in many shapes.
How families do it differently
- Many North and West Indian families perform Lakṣmī Pūjā on the new-moon evening, often with Lord Gaṇeśa beside her, as the remover of obstacles.
- Many business families bless their new account books that night (chopda pūjan in Gujarat, bahī khātā in the North), starting the year with an honest slate.
- Some families leave a door open and a lamp burning through the night to welcome her.
- In Bengal and parts of eastern India, Goddess Lakṣmī is worshipped on the full-moon night after Durgā Pūjā (Kojāgarī Lakṣmī Pūjā), and Goddess Kālī is worshipped on Diwali night.
Whatever the custom, the heart of it is the same: gratitude for what we have, and a promise to use it well.
Try this at home
During Lakshmi puja, let each child place a coin or a sweet in front of the lamp. Afterwards, decide together who you will share something with this week.
Sources
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa 8.8 — Goddess Lakṣmī appears from the churning of the ocean and chooses Lord Viṣṇu.
- Viṣṇu Purāṇa 1.9 — Another telling of the churning of the ocean and Śrī's appearance.
- Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Śrī–Rukmiṇī dialogue — Śrī describes the people and homes she lives with: truthful, diligent, self-controlled, generous, clean and peaceful.
- Śrī Sūkta (appendix to the Ṛg Veda) — An ancient hymn to Śrī-Lakṣmī, often recited at Lakṣmī Pūjā.
- Aṣṭa Lakṣmī — A later devotional tradition. Lists of the eight forms vary between families and regions.
Written in our own words from public-domain texts, as a simple way in. The original texts are always the best teacher. Spotted something to improve? Tell us.
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