About Vaibhav Lakshmiवैभव लक्ष्मी के बारे में

Vaibhav Lakshmi is a form of Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and good fortune and the eternal consort of Lord Vishnu. The word "vaibhav" means splendour, prosperity and abundance, so Vaibhav Lakshmi is Lakshmi worshipped as the giver of a full, graceful and well-ordered life. She is honoured above all through the Vaibhav Lakshmi Vrat, a simple Friday vow kept in many homes across India.

This page explains who Vaibhav Lakshmi is, how she is usually pictured, how she relates to Lakshmi and Vishnu, and why her Friday vrat became so widely loved.

Lakshmi and her many forms

In Hindu tradition Lakshmi (also called Shri) is the goddess of fortune in its widest sense: material wealth, but also beauty, grace, harvest, courage, children, wisdom and auspiciousness. The Puranas tell how she rose from the churning of the ocean of milk (Samudra Manthan), holding a lotus, and chose Lord Vishnu as her husband. Since then she is believed to accompany him in every avatar: as Sita with Rama and as Rukmini with Krishna.

Because fortune has many sides, devotees worship Lakshmi in many forms. The best known group is the Ashtalakshmi, the eight Lakshmis, each linked with one kind of blessing. Vaibhav Lakshmi is understood as Lakshmi in her aspect of splendour and prosperity. In the popular booklet tradition of the vrat she is identified with Shri Dhanalakshmi, the first of the eight forms pictured in the booklet.

Iconography: how Vaibhav Lakshmi is pictured

The pictures of Vaibhav Lakshmi used in homes follow the classical image of Lakshmi. Details differ from one print to another, but the common features are these:

• Seated on a lotus: the goddess sits (sometimes stands) on a large pink or red lotus floating on water. The lotus, rooted in mud yet clean and open to the sun, is read as a symbol of purity and of prosperity that is not stained by greed.
• Four arms: she usually has four hands. Two hold lotuses, while the others show the abhaya mudra (the gesture of protection) and the varada mudra (the gesture of granting boons). The four arms are often explained as the four aims of life: dharma, artha, kama and moksha.
• Gold coins flowing: from one hand a stream of gold coins pours down, the most familiar sign that she is the giver of wealth and well-being.
• Elephants: one or two white elephants stand beside her, often pouring water over her from pots or with raised trunks. This image is called Gajalakshmi and stands for royal splendour, rain and fertility.
• Red and gold: she is usually dressed in a red sari with gold ornaments, colours linked with auspiciousness and married life.
• The owl: in popular tradition, especially in eastern and northern India, the owl (uluka) is shown as her vahana (mount). Some explain that the owl sees in the dark, so the devotee should stay alert and wise even when blessed with wealth. In other traditions the elephant or the lotus itself is her seat.

Many Vaibhav Lakshmi pictures also show the Shri Yantra, the sacred geometric diagram connected with the goddess. In the booklet tradition, devotees bow to the Shri Yantra before the Friday puja.

Relation to Lakshmi and Vishnu

Vaibhav Lakshmi is not a separate goddess but Lakshmi herself, worshipped under a name that stresses one of her qualities. Devotees who keep her vrat therefore also remember Lord Vishnu, whose consort she is. The vrat mantra calls her "Harisakhi", the companion of Hari (Vishnu), and describes her as born from the churning of the ocean. According to tradition, wealth gained with Lakshmi's grace stays where Vishnu's virtues of order, duty and kindness are also present. This is why the vrat asks for a clean home, gentle speech and honest conduct, not only offerings.

Why Friday

Friday (Shukravar) is named after Shukra, the planet Venus, which Indian astrology links with comfort, beauty, luxury and married happiness. In popular tradition Friday is the day of the goddess, and it is the day on which Lakshmi and Vaibhav Lakshmi are especially worshipped. The page on Friday Lakshmi puja describes simple practices for the day.

How the vrat became popular

The Vaibhav Lakshmi Vrat spread widely in the twentieth century, especially in Gujarat and then across western and northern India. Its growth owes much to a small booklet that contains the vrat vidhi, the story of Sheela and her husband, the mantra and the aarti, along with pictures of the eight forms of Lakshmi and the Shri Yantra.

The booklet carries its own way of spreading. At the end of the vow, during the udyapan, the devotee gifts copies of the booklet to other women, often 7, 11, 21 or more. Each woman who receives one may in turn take the vow and later gift more copies. In this way the vrat passed from home to home, from neighbour to neighbour, without temples or priests being needed.

Several other things help explain its appeal:

• It is simple: a picture, a kalash, a lamp, a sweet offering and the katha are enough.
• It can be done at home in the evening, in under an hour.
• It is kept for a fixed number of Fridays, usually 11 or 21, so it fits ordinary family life.
• Its story speaks of patience in hard times and the hope of a family made whole again, which many people find close to their own lives.

What devotees seek

Devotees usually keep the vrat with a wish in mind: harmony at home, relief from money troubles, success in work, or the well-being of the family. According to tradition, the goddess responds to sincere faith, patience and good conduct. The vrat is also seen as a discipline in itself: a weekly reminder to keep the home clean, speak gently, share food and stay hopeful. Any result is a matter of faith, and different families describe it in their own way.

To begin the vow, read the vrat vidhi and choose a suitable Friday.