My Varalakshmi Pooja

I had performed the Varalakshmi Pooja last Friday.



Varalakshmi pooja falls on dwadasi as well as Friday in the month of Aadi or Aavani (Tamil month), the day in which goddess Lakshmi was born from the cosmic sea.

Varalakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and gives us whatever we want. To get the blessing of Lakshmi, we perform this pooja with great care and devotion. This pooja is celebrated in a grand manner.
>>The pooja room is cleaned the previous day (Thursday) and floral decorations and kolam with rice flour should be done.
>>After cleaning the sombu (kalasam), put some coins, betel, betel nut, turmeric, lemon, comb, mirror, black bangles (very small), black beads, raw rice, kunguma chimizh (very small one) inside it.
>>Arrange the mango leaves over this and keep a coconut on top. Fix the amman face on the coconut, then decorate the kalasam with flowers. Place some flowers. Keep the sombu in the pooja, prepare ven pongal for neivedhyam.
>>Have faith that Goddess Lakshmi Herself is residing in that Kalssam. Perform karpoora aarathi.

This pooja must be done with utmost dedication.To start the pooja, keep the goddess near the entrance of the house on the kolam (inside the house). Keep flowers. Then take karpoora aarathi.

Then bring the deity to the pooja place singing the song "Lakshmi Raave maa inti ki" which means "Lakshmi please come to our house". In the mandha haasam, place a plaintain leaf and spread raw rice. Keep the kalasam on this and decorate the deity. Keep the nombu saradu (yellow thread) also.

First perform Vinayaka pooja to vinayaka (a conical shape made of turmeric powder). After finishing that pooja, start Varalakshmi pooja. There are specific slokas and mantras. You could run the pooja slokas from the cassette or recite. After the pooja, naivedhyam to be kept and do karpoora aarathi.

After aarathi, the ladies must tie the nonbu saradu in their right hand, reciting the sloka requesting the Goddess to reside with self. Offer thamboolam to the ladies. Being a Friday, giving thamboolam for as many ladies as possible is auspicious. In the night, perform mangala aarathi.

Next morning, place some fresh flowers, offer neivedhyam and perform aarathi. Move the kalasam toward noth. This pooja is generally carried forward by daughters-in-law. However, the Goddess will be immensely pleased by this pooja done by anyone, be it cutomary or non-customary.



May Goddess Lakshmi bring all peace and happiness.

Text Courtesy: Chennaionline.com