The Mahalakshmi Ashtakam is a Sanskrit hymn of eight verses to the goddess Lakshmi in her great form, Mahalakshmi, followed by three verses that state its benefits. In the text it is spoken by Indra, the king of the gods, and the closing line calls it indra-kritah shri-mahalakshmy-ashtaka-stavah, “the praise of Mahalakshmi in eight verses, made by Indra”. Tradition places it in the Padma Purana; the printed edition used for this page names only Indra.
The hymn is built on a single refrain, mahalakshmi namo ‘stu te, “Mahalakshmi, salutation to you”, which ends every one of the first eight verses. In each verse the first line praises her form or her power, and the second adds a name and the refrain. The verses call her Mahamaya, the one who holds the conch, the discus and the mace (symbols that she shares with Vishnu), and the mother of the world. Because the same words come back every time, it is easy for a family to learn, and many people know it by heart.
Below you will find all eleven verses in Devanagari with a simple transliteration and a plain meaning, notes on when it is recited, and a note on how the text was sourced. The goddess is worshipped most widely at Diwali, as described in the Diwali Lakshmi puja guide.
The text, transliteration and meaning
The first eight verses are the hymn proper. The three verses after them say how and when to read it and what the reading is said to bring.
Verse 1
नमस्तेऽस्तु महामाये श्रीपीठे सुरपूजिते ।
शङ्खचक्रगदाहस्ते महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Namaste'stu mahamaye shripithe surapujite
Shankhachakragadahaste mahalakshmi namo'stu te
MeaningSalutation to you, Mahamaya, the great power of illusion, seated on the sacred seat, worshipped by the gods. You hold a conch, a discus and a mace in your hands. Mahalakshmi, salutation to you.
Verse 2
नमस्ते गरुडारूढे कोलासुरभयङ्करि ।
सर्वपापहरे देवि महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Namaste garudarudhe kolasurabhayankari
Sarvapapahare devi mahalakshmi namo'stu te
MeaningSalutation to you who ride on Garuda and who terrify the demon Kola. You take away all sins, O goddess. Mahalakshmi, salutation to you.
Verse 3
सर्वज्ञे सर्ववरदे सर्वदुष्टभयङ्करि ।
सर्वदुःखहरे देवि महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Sarvajne sarvavarade sarvadushtabhayankari
Sarvaduhkhahare devi mahalakshmi namo'stu te
MeaningYou know all things and grant every boon. You are the terror of all evil-doers and the remover of all sorrow, O goddess. Mahalakshmi, salutation to you.
Verse 4
सिद्धिबुद्धिप्रदे देवि भुक्तिमुक्तिप्रदायिनि ।
मन्त्रमूर्ते सदा देवि महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Siddhibuddhiprade devi bhuktimuktipradayini
Mantramurte sada devi mahalakshmi namo'stu te
MeaningYou give success and understanding, enjoyment and liberation. You are the form of the mantra, always, O goddess. Mahalakshmi, salutation to you.
Verse 5
आद्यन्तरहिते देवि आद्यशक्ति महेश्वरि ।
योगजे योगसम्भूते महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Adyantarahite devi adyashakti maheshvari
Yogaje yogasambhute mahalakshmi namo'stu te
MeaningYou have no beginning and no end, O goddess, first power, great sovereign. You are born of yoga and arise from yoga. Mahalakshmi, salutation to you.
Verse 6
स्थूलसूक्ष्ममहारौद्रे महाशक्ति महोदरे ।
महापापहरे देवि महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Sthulasukshmamaharaudre mahashakti mahodare
Mahapapahare devi mahalakshmi namo'stu te
MeaningYou are both gross and subtle, greatly fierce, the great power, with a great belly that holds the world. You destroy the greatest sins, O goddess. Mahalakshmi, salutation to you.
Verse 7
पद्मासनस्थिते देवि परब्रह्मस्वरूपिणि ।
परमेशि जगन्मातर्महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Padmasanasthite devi parabrahmasvarupini
Parameshi jaganmatarmahalakshmi namo'stu te
MeaningYou sit on a lotus, O goddess, and you are the nature of the Supreme Brahman. Supreme sovereign, mother of the world, Mahalakshmi, salutation to you.
Verse 8
श्वेताम्बरधरे देवि नानालङ्कारभूषिते ।
जगत्स्थिते जगन्मातर्महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Shvetambaradhare devi nanalankarabhushite
Jagatsthite jaganmatarmahalakshmi namo'stu te
MeaningYou wear white garments, O goddess, adorned with many ornaments. You are established in the world and are its mother. Mahalakshmi, salutation to you.
Verse 9 (benefit)
महालक्ष्म्यष्टकस्तोत्रं यः पठेद्भक्तिमान्नरः ।
सर्वसिद्धिमवाप्नोति राज्यं प्राप्नोति सर्वदा ॥
Mahalakshmyashtakastotram yah pathedbhaktimannarah
Sarvasiddhimavapnoti rajyam prapnoti sarvada
MeaningThe person who recites this Mahalakshmi Ashtaka with devotion, the text says, attains every success and always gains a kingdom (the right to rule or prosperity).
Verse 10 (benefit)
एककाले पठेन्नित्यं महापापविनाशनम् ।
द्विकालं यः पठेन्नित्यं धनधान्यसमन्वितः ॥
Ekakale pathennityam mahapapavinashanam
Dvikalam yah pathennityam dhanadhanyasamanvitah
MeaningReading it once a day, the text says, destroys great sin. One who reads it twice a day is endowed with wealth and grain.
Verse 11 (benefit)
त्रिकालं यः पठेन्नित्यं महाशत्रुविनाशनम् ।
महालक्ष्मीर्भवेन्नित्यं प्रसन्ना वरदा शुभा ॥
Trikalam yah pathennityam mahashatruvinashanam
Mahalakshmirbhavennityam prasanna varada shubha
MeaningOne who reads it three times a day, the text says, overcomes great enemies, and Mahalakshmi will always be pleased, a giver of boons and of good fortune.
The closing line reads iti indrakritam shri-mahalakshmy-ashtaka-stavah sampurnah: “thus ends the eight-verse praise of Mahalakshmi composed by Indra”.
Text: printed editions of the Brihat Stotra Ratnakara (Nirnaya Sagar Press, 1904, and an undated print in the Cuddalore collection), checked against the typed text on Sanskrit Wikisource. Transliteration is simplified; meanings are our own. Verse numbers appear as labels above each verse.
Notes on a few names
Mahamaya (“great illusion” or “great power”) is the name of the goddess as the power by which the world appears. Shripitha in the first verse means the sacred seat of Shri, a name of Lakshmi, and the tradition places it at Kolhapur in Maharashtra, which is why the demon Kola in verse 2 is linked to that city. The identification of Kola with Kolhapur is a tradition and is not stated in the verse. Garuda is the great eagle on which Vishnu rides. The text here gives the goddess the same vehicle.
In verse 4 mantramurte means “you whose form is a mantra”. The goddess is called a mantra, that is, a sacred sound, because the sound is understood as a form of her presence. Verse 6 calls her sthula-sukshma-maharaudra, “gross, subtle and greatly fierce”. Lakshmi is better known for her gentle form, and this verse reminds the reader that the goddess in this hymn is also a great power. In the same verse mahodare, “of the great belly”, is traditionally read to mean that all worlds are held in her.
When and how it is traditionally recited
The Mahalakshmi Ashtakam is read on Fridays, the day of Lakshmi, and on Diwali, when families worship her in the evening, and at Dhanteras and Navratri. A lamp is lit before an image or picture of Lakshmi, and the eight verses are read or sung, with the benefit verses often added. The Diwali Lakshmi puja guide and the Dhanteras puja guide describe how the main festivals are kept.
Verses 10 and 11 suggest reading the hymn once, twice or three times a day, at dawn, noon and dusk. Many people take the text as an encouragement to read it daily at one fixed time and not as a rule. If your family has its own order or counts, follow it. Some people also read the Shri Suktam or the Kanakadhara Stotram on the same occasions.
What the tradition says it is for
Lakshmi stands for prosperity in the widest sense: not only money and grain but good fortune, beauty and the steadiness of a settled home. The hymn praises her power as greater than any one of these. Verses 9 to 11 say that the reader gains success, a kingdom, wealth, grain and the end of enemies, and that she is pleased and gives boons.
Those are the text’s own statements of faith. This page reports them as that and not as a promise. Prayer cannot replace sensible financial planning, and nothing here is financial advice. If money is a worry, speak to a qualified adviser as well as praying. Many teachers also read the wealth of the hymn in a wider sense, as contentment and the capacity to share what one has.
Pronunciation notes
The refrain mahalakshmi namo ‘stu te is said ma-haa-lak-shmi na-mo-stu-te. The cluster kshm in lakshmi is said as k, sh and m together, with the sh of “shoe”. The apostrophe in ‘stu marks the avagraha, a sound that is not pronounced: namo ‘stu is said as namostu.
In verse 2 the word kolasura is ko-laa-su-ra. The word shankha-chakra-gada-haste in verse 1 is a compound, to be read in chunks: shankha-chakra-gadaa-haste, “in whose hand are conch, discus and mace”. The vowel ri in shri is a light rolled r followed by a soft i, so shri is said shree.
How the text on this page is sourced
There is no critical edition of this hymn, so the page rests on printed editions. The Devanagari was taken from scans of the Brihat Stotra Ratnakara on archive.org: the Nirnaya Sagar Press edition of 1904 (fifth edition) and an undated print in the Cuddalore collection, which agree in every verse. The scanned text is noisy, so it was used to confirm and to decide between readings. The typed text on Sanskrit Wikisource (page “श्रीमहालक्ष्म्यष्टकम्”) was used as a third witness, and it has several typing slips that the prints correct: shula for sthula in verse 6, sarvasushta- for sarvadushta- in verse 3, and rajya prapteti for rajyam prapnoti in verse 9.
The prints have jaganmatar-mahalakshmi in verses 7 and 8, with the vocative of matr, and mahashakti in verse 6, and this page keeps both as printed.
Related mantras and pages
- Shri Suktam: the Vedic hymn to Lakshmi
- Kanakadhara Stotram: a Sanskrit hymn to Lakshmi attributed to Shankara
- Annapurna Ashtakam: a hymn to Annapurna, the goddess of food
- Diwali: the festival when Lakshmi is worshipped, with dates
- Diwali Lakshmi puja: how the evening puja is done
- Dhanteras puja vidhi: how the first day of Diwali is kept
- All mantras, stotras, chalisas and aartis
Frequently asked questions
↳ What is the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam?
It is a Sanskrit hymn of eight verses to Mahalakshmi, followed by three verses on its benefits. In the text it is spoken by Indra, the king of the gods. Every one of the first eight verses ends with 'mahalakshmi namo stu te', meaning 'Mahalakshmi, salutation to you'.
↳ Who wrote the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam?
The text names Indra as the speaker, and tradition places it in the Padma Purana. The printed edition we used does not name a human author, so it is a traditional hymn.
↳ When is it recited?
Fridays, Diwali, Dhanteras and Navratri are the common times, and many families read it daily. The last verses speak of reading it once, twice or three times a day. Customs differ, and there is no single required time.
↳ Is the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam the same as the Shri Suktam?
No. The Shri Suktam is a much older Vedic hymn, traditionally a supplement (khila) to the Rigveda, while this ashtaka is a later Sanskrit hymn in simple verse form. Both praise Lakshmi, and families often read them together.
↳ Can anyone recite it?
Yes. It is a hymn of praise and is open to anyone who reads it with respect. As with all such hymns, the benefits in the last verses are statements of faith and not guarantees.