Mahalakshmi Ashtakam - A Detailed Explanation

The mantra / ashtakam of goddess Mahalakshmi is a time tested remedy or a tool for the mankind to accomplish all material desires and fulfil financial goals. I have practically seen the benefits manifest in less than few hours and at some time takes a few days depending upon the goal one has... before reading further here are a few instances to quote…

-          A friend of mine was a micro financer, he had lend money to few folks and was unable to recover the principle nor the interest. I suggested him to chant the Mahalakshmi ashtakam and after a couple of weeks he saw the people coming back to him and repaying the interest to start with and in a span of 4 months all his money was recovered

-          Another instance, she was a sr. manager who lost her job and was desperate to find one to ensure all her EMIs  and other commitments are met. With repeated attempts she was unable to settle down in a good job, every 2-3 months some or the other issues kept her of the work, she resumed to chant the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam and in a less than a months’ time found a high paying job.

-          A Client of mine  was laid off from Jet Airways due to downsizing, he too chanted the mantra and in less than 3 days he was called back to resume his work, while a 1000+ employees were laid off he was the lucky one, he now has complete faith in the ashtakam and chants 11 times daily

-          A stock broker was in a very bad shape, although he had a lot of people opening an account with him, there were a countable few who use to trade and the brokerage earned was more like a students pocket money, he resumed chanting the ashtakam and in less than three months he had more than 1000 clients who are regular traders

-          A couple approached me and they had got themselves into a lot of issues, financial loans, raising credit card bills, frequent hospitalization and loss of money in the business. It was a Diwali night when they started chanting the Ashtakam …. all that she did from morning to evening except when she used to prepare food/perform household activities for almost 8-10 hours a day she used to chant the mantra with full devotion, her husband after reaching home in the evening from 6:00 to the time he used to have his dinner and go to bed chanted the mantra, miracles started to happen at their end, business expended, he moved out form retail to wholesale… in a span of 6 months he started an import export business, the shop which was a rented one where he did business… now in less than 2 years time he owns 3 shops, they have begeted a daughter and have two maids at home doing all the household activities. She and her husband as a practice in the evening chant the ashtakam for atleast 21 times daily and perform aarti and when ever they get time chant as long as they can…

-          I have seen benefit of this mantra myself, just before going to the interview I chanted this mantra for an hour and odd while I was driving down from home to office to attend the interview, the interview was first time right, very comforatable salary negotiation and I landed in a high paying job…

There are lot many such instance I can,  quote about me, my family members, my friends, my clients who have fetched a lot of benefits just by chanting the ashtakam.
The secret behind all material existence is found in the feminine principle, personified in the Goddess Archetype, Lakshmi is a very important Goddess, more people know about her than any other Goddess because Lakshmi is the Goddess of Wealth and the whole world is run by wealth. I will run short of words if I start writing about the goddess… instead I’m sharing the Ashtakam and the meaning of each of the couplet such that it benefits the reader.

You may wish to chant minimum 8 times a day as written in PadmaPuran for continuous 41 days to see fortune unfold your way .
What I have experienced is a chant of this ashtakam for 108 times is more powerful. 108 as a number in astrology and Vedas carry a lot of importance. There are 9 planets as per Vedic astrology and 12 zodiac houses the product of 9 x 12 = 108 and any chant for 108 times is said to overcome all the ill effects of planets and will open ways for energy to flow in.

Namstestu mahamaye shripithe surapujite
Sankhachakra gada haste mahalakshmi namostu te ..1

Namaste garudarudhe kolasura bhayankari
Sarva papahare devi mahalakshmi namostu te ..2

Sarvajne sarvavarade sarvadushtabhayankari
Sarvadukha hare devi mahalakshmi namostu te ..3

Sidhi budhi prade devi bhukti mukti pradayini
Mantramurte sada devi mahalakshmi namostu te ..4

Adyantarahite devi adishakti maheswari
Yogagye yogasambhute mahalakshmi namostu te ..5

Stula Sukshma maharoudre mahashakti mahodare
Maha papahare devi mahalakshmi namostu te ..6

Padmasana sthite devi parabhrahma swarupini
Paramesi janmata rmahalakshmi namostu te ..7

Swetambara dhare devi nanalamkara bhushite
Janthsthite janmata rmahalakshmi ramostu te ..8


Meaning / Explanation:


Namstestu mahamaye shripithe surapujite
Sankhachakra gada haste mahalakshmi namostu te ..1


Salutations to the Mahamaya, the great Enchantress, goddess mahalakshmi in the very first word of the Ashtakam is called as great Enchantress, she has the ability to enchant the whole universe with unimaginable pleasures and fortunes she can shed upon her devotee who resides in Shri Pitha which is her abode and is worshiped by demi gods leave alone human… and the form which is mentioned in the first couple to of the ashtakam is Godess Mahalkakshmi holding Shanka, Chakra and Gada in her hands.

A devotee who is chanting this couplet of the ashtakam has to visualize or imagine goddess in this form, there is significance to each of these elements. Shankha in the texts of Hinduism is considered as a sacred emblem often used to blow as a bugle during the war and inviting VIJAYA LAKSHMI, or inviting goddess Lakshmi to come down and be with the warrior to grant him/her victory. There are two types of Shankha often seen, they are Dakshinavarta (Right Turned) and Vamavarta(Left Turned.) A Hindu legend in Brahma Vaivarta Purana recalls the creation of conchs: god Shiva flung a trident towards the demons, burning them instantaneously. Their ashes flew in the sea creating conchs. Shankha is believed to be a brother of Lakshmi as both of them were born from the sea.

The Chakra, is another most important emblem often seen in hindu mythology, in the metaphysical world the Chakra is closely associated with the Energy Chakras i.e. major plexuses of arteries, veins and nerves, that are centers of life force (prana), or vital energy. Blocked energy in our 7 Chakras can often lead to illness … the chakra in the hands of Goddess Lakshmi is an emblem which reminds the devotee that Goddess has the powers to revitalize the chakras and energize one to accomplish the goal and desire one carries.

The Gada or Mace at the metaphysical level represents the power of time. Just as nothing can conquer time, the mace too is unconquerable and destroys those who oppose it. Often Goddess Lakshmi is referred in many texts as a fortune finder and the devotee who worships Goddess in this form holding the Gada is sure to see good times unfolding his way…

So in a nutshell, when reciting the first couplet of the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam  the devotee should visualize Goddess as Mahamaya the great enchantress seated at her abode or Sri Peetha also sometime in some texts referred as the Heart of Lord Vishnu  is worshiped by demi gods in the from where she holds a Conch, Chakra and Mace in her hands…


Namaste garudarudhe kolasura bhayankari
Sarva papahare devi mahalakshmi namostu te ..2

In this verse / couplet goddess Mahalakshmi is worshiped as Riding the Garuda. The Garuda is one of the most powerful demigods and is given an important place in Indian mythology. This can be gauged by the very fact that there is a complete Upanishad and Purana (Garudopanishad and Garuda Purana respectively) on him. Owl is the carrier or vahana of Goddess Lakshmi, but in this verse the devotee is worshiping Goddess who is riding the Garuda, Hindu philosophy firmly believes that spiritualism is the true human endeavour and the goal of life is the union with Creator. The pursuits of material gains is looked down upon as a stupid act of a person who has not seen the light of the spiritual wisdom to know that the real treasure is love for God, the devotee chanting the ashtakam is not only looking for material wealth but also the true divine treasure.

In this couplet the devotee is worshiping Goddess who was able to put the fear of god in Kolasura the terrorized the demon, the devotee is confirmed that with blessings of Goddess Lakshmi will also carry equal valor and sees her in the form of Dhairya or Veera Lakshmi and prays her to overcome all the sins created knowingly or unknowingly.


Sarvajne sarvavarade sarvadushtabhayankari
Sarvadukha hare devi mahalakshmi namostu te ..3

Goddess in this verse is refered as Sarvajne… the one who know all, and the devotee also prays her calling Sava varade, the granter of all boons and similar to the previous verse where the demon was terrorized by the goddess, the devotee now goes ahead and addresses her as the goddess who is capable of terrorizing all the ill and bad elements also is capable to release one from the clutches of sorrows … the devote offers salutations to the goddess and imagines himself / herself to get all the boons from the goddess to get the desires fulfilled, become knowledgeable and overcome the sorrows if he/she is facing.


Sidhi budhi prade devi bhukti mukti pradayini
Mantramurte sada devi mahalakshmi namostu te ..4

The devotee chanting this verse visualizes goddess granting him Success (Siddhi) and Intelligence (Buddhi), Worldly enjoyment and pleasures (Bhukti) and finally requests to grant Mukti (Liberation) and reiterates that goddess mahalakshim Always abides as the Embodiment of Mantra.

The very reason one is chanting this mantra is for both material and spiritual gains, in this world if only sorrows and pains exist one will not be able to accomplish the salvation, contented life on this earth needs both materialistic and spiritual development, if one is in need and that is not being fulfilled then where does one have time for spiritualism, you will not take the path of god unless you have enjoyed the pleasures of earthly world and realized them of not giving you enough satisfaction and look for higher satisfaction of the soul thru spiritual means, Goddess in this verse is requested to grant the devotee Success in his endeavours, could be business, job, exams etc… and Intelligence to ensure not to fall prey to the success and build a false ego, also at the same time the devotee goes ahead and request the goddess to grant him/her enjoyment from the success gained to fulfil the desires of this body made of flesh and blood and live thru the pleasures of this world and meanwhile enough spirituality to finally reach the goal of liberation.


Adyantarahite devi adishakti maheswari
Yogajye yogasambhute mahalakshmi namostu te ..5

 Goddess Mahalakshmi by the devotee is worshiped in this verse as the energy which has not end and no one know the beginning, the devotee looks at the goddess as the Supreme intelligence who has lovingly moulded and guided Creation, just as a caring parent would guide her child through the travails and challenges of life. The First Energy, out of whom the entire Creation manifested and expressed itself in all diversity, goddess here is referred to Adi Shakti who does all the work of creation and destroys the evil, the devotee in this verse asks goddess to give him/her the creative power and walk a path to destroy the evil within. The reciter of this verse seeks Comforting, Counselling, Redeeming and Awakening of the Kundalini, who is beyond all these powers, goddess in this verse is offered salutations as the one born of yoga united with yoga.


Stula Sukshma maharoudre mahashakti mahodare
Maha papahare devi mahalakshmi namostu te ..6

Reciting this couplet the devotee sees goddess mahalakshmi in all the forms Gross and subtle and most terrible who is capable of granting great power and prosperity is capable to remove all sins. The importance of this verse goes beyond requesting the Goddess to fulfil the desires in this life and also requests the goddess to fulfil the desires as long as the universe and the soul exists in all the forms known and unknown.


Padmasana sthite devi parabhrahma swarupini
Paramesi janmata rmahalakshmi namostu te ..7

Reciting this couplet one visualizes goddess Mahalakshmi seated on the Lotus in the form of Para Brahma and is supreme mother / guardian of this universe. Goddess in this couplet is refered as Para Brahma Sawaroop which is beyond Brahma. The self-enduring, eternal, self-sufficient cause of all causes, the essence of everything in the cosmos, and the reciter affirms with devotion to such an absolute power all the desires get fulfilled.


Swetambara dhare devi nanalamkara bhushite
Janthsthite janmata rmahalakshmi ramostu te ..8

The final verse of this couplet where the devotee marks a blueprint of the goddess in his/her third eye, he visualizes the goddess Dressed in White Garments and Adorned with Various Ornaments encompassing the entire universe. The devote see the goddess as a mother and sees himself in her arms an infant cared and nurtured by the goddess thus fulfilling all his desires.



There is no slightest of the doubts in my mind and I’m recommending one and all to personally see the miracles of this powerful ashtakam. Chant for 108 times daily and in very less time see your goals and desires fulfilling. Could be business, career, job, money, trading, progeny, winning law suites, peace, harmony, family happiness, bliss etc…