Ashta Lakshmi Vaibhavam : Part I

[Guest guest]

Dear BhakthAs of MahA Lakshmi :

 

One of the members of the Oppiliappan list

requested me to provide information on

Ashtalakshmi Vaibhavam . adiyEn will do

my best to respond to this request .

 

At the outset , let me invite your attention

in this context to the detailed commentaries

by adiyEn on Swamy Parasara Bhattar"s Sri GuNa

Rathna Kosam with its 61 slOkams archived in

Malolan.org:

 

http://www.malolan.org

 

The introduction section there provides links to

additional essays on MahA Lakshmi Tatthvam ,

which incorporates Ashta Lakshmi Vaibhavam .

 

Access to additional postings on the Vaibhavam of

MahA Lakshmi/Ashta Lakshmi can also be had at :

 

http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia/oppiliappan/archives/index.html

 

Please link here to Dikshitar's MahA Lakshmi

Krithis , which extoll Her Vaibhavam .

 

Details on Ashta Lakshmi Vaibhavam

***********************************

Mahaa Lakshmi is the dearest consort of

Mahaa VishNu and she never ever leaves

Her place of residence on the sacred chest

of Her Lord . The visualization and prayer

to Her by Adhi Sankara is :

 

ambhOruhAm janma-graham bhavathyaa

vakshasthalam bharthru-graham MuraarE:kaaruNyAth kalpaya Padhma-vaasE

leela-gruham mE hrudhayAravindham

 

(Meaning): Oh MahA Lakshmi having the red lotus

as Your house of birth ( piRantha veedu/janma gruham)

and Your husband's chest as the puhuntha veedu

(Barthru: Graham/ house after marriage to Your Lord) !

May Thou-seated on the red lotus- with Your overflowing

mercy choose my heart lotus as Your sporting place

( Leelaa Gruham )!

 

***The petals of the lotus on which She is seated

are said to represent Her eight forms of wealth

in Her all encompassing role as the Goddess of

all aspects of wealth .All Her eight forms fold

into one integrated form : MahA Laskshmi .

 

***There is a major temple of recent origin

( 1976 C.E)at Besant Nagar , Chennai noted for

its AshtAnga VimAnam as at ThirukkOshtiyUr

and UtthiramErUr .At this Ashta Lakshmi temple ,

Her eight forms are worshipped at individual

sannidhis .

 

***The eight forms of MahA Lakshmi are :

 

1. Aadhi Lakshmi : Here , She represents the primordial

form as the inseperable consort of the Lord at their

Supreme Abode , Sri Vaikuntam . She is found seated

on Her Lord's left thigh and thereby confers Him

the nAmam of Sri Lakshmi NaarAyaNan . The prayer

for Her in Ashta Lakshmi SthOthram is:

 

Nithya SoubhAgya SouseelyAm

Vara Lakshmi dadhAthi cha

prasannAm streeNa sulabhAm

ADHI LAKSHMEEM NAMAAMYAHAM

 

She is easily accessed as the object of

refuge of PrapannAs and She intercedes

for us with Her Lord to grant all

the four purushArTams through Her

four hands.

 

2.Dhaanya Lakshmi :Mistress of wealth in

the form of grains , fruits , vegetables

and all other foods to quell . The prayer to

Dhaanya Lakshmi is :

 

PruTvee garbham samuthbhinnA

naanAvreehi savroopiNeem

pasu-sampath svaropaam cha

DhAnya Lakshmeem namAmyaham

 

3. Dhairya Lakshmi: The Goddess who blesses

us with unlimited courage and strength to

win over all obstacles in our rightful

endeavours directed by the Lord's sAsthrAs.

The prayer for Dhairya Lakshmi is:

 

na Maathsaryam na cha krOdhO

na bheethir-na cha bhEdha dhee:

yath bhakthAnAm vineethAnAm

Dhairya Lakshmeem namAmyaham

 

4. Gaja Lakshmi : She is seen with two

elephants on Her sides and is seated on

a red lotus .She arose out of the Milky

ocean during the churning of that ocean

to release Amrutham ( Please see the

attached image) . Her prayer modeled

after SrI Sooktham is :

 

RaTa madhyAm asva-poorvAm

Gaja nAta prabhOdhineem

SaamrAjya-dhAyineem dEveem

Gaja Lakshmeem NamAmyaham

 

In Sri Sookthi , she is offered

SuprabhAtham ( Hasthi Naadha

prabhOdhineem/ awakening with

the trumpeting of the elephants)

at the lotus pond. They are ready

to offer abhishEka Jalam for Her

sacred bath and stand on both sides

of Her with water pots in their "hands".

AbhishEka valli ThAyaar of ThirukkaNNa

mangai is our Gaja Lakshmi .

 

5. SanthAna Lakshmi: She bestows wealth

in the form of SuprajAs ( devout children

following dharmam ) .The prayer to Her for

the wealth of auspicious children,grand children

takes this form:

 

puthra pouthra svaroopENa

pasu-bhruthyAthmanaa svayam

sambhavantheem cha SanthAna-

Lakshmeem Deveem namAmyaham

 

6.Vijaya Lakshmi:She confers the boon of

success in all undertakings to conquer

our lower nature ( Raajasic/Taamasic

proclivities).Here , the prayer is:

 

Sarva sakthi svaroopAm cha

Sarva Siddhi pradhAyineem

SarvEswareem Sri Vijaya-

Lakshmeem Deveem namAmyaham

 

7.Dhana Lakshmi: She is the showerer of

all kinds of wealth .The prayer to Dhana

Lakshmi is :

 

Dhanamagnir-dhanam vaama:

dhanam bhUthAni pancha cha

prabhUthaisvarya sandhAthreem

Dhana Lakshmeem namAmyaham

 

8.VidhyA Lakshmi: She grants the boon of

Jn~Anam and the prayer to Her is:

 

nAnA vij~nana sandhAthreem

buddhi suddhi pradhAyineem

amruthathva pradhAthreem cha

VidhyA Lakshmeem namAmyaham

 

How these eight forms of Lakshmi

merge into MahA Lakshmi and how Her

power to remove all kinds of poverty

to bless us with all types of wealth

are summed up by the following two slOkams

including the Phala sruthi :

 

Ashta Lakshmi samAhAra-

svaroopAm tamm HaripriyAm

Moksha Lakshmeem MahA Lakshmeem

Sarva Lakshmeem namAmyaham

 

DhAridhrya dukkha haraNAm

samruddhirapi sampathAm

SacchidhAnandha poorNathvam

Ashta Lakshmi StuthEr-bhavaEth

 

In summary , the Ashta Lakshmis can be

related to their different roopams :

 

1)Dhana Lakshmi/Pushti-wealth roopam

 

2)VidhyA Lakshmi/Buddhi-intellect roopam

 

3)DhAnya Lakshmi/KshudhA-freedom from hunger roopam

 

4)Dhairya( Veera)Lakshmi/roopam of Courage

 

5)Vijaya(SoubhAgya)Lakshmi/happiness roopam

 

6)Gaja(KaaruNya)Lakshmi/Roopam of Compassion

 

7)SanthAna Lakshmi/Mother of all beings(Mathru roopam)

 

8) MahA(Aadhi) Lakshmi/Sarva Lakshmi roopam.

 

She confers Saanthi( Peace) , Keerthi (Fame ) ,

Pushti( Strength) , Tushti (Pleasure) ,Preethi

( affection) ,Sarasvathi ( Learning) , Bhu

( land) and Sree( kaimkarya Sree ) .

 

In the companion(Concluding) posting ,

adiyEn will cover the melodious

Ashta Lakshmi ShtOthram that you can

recite to recieve Her blessings .

 

Sri Lakshmi NaarAyaNa ParabrahmaNE nama:

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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