Lakshmi mantra: Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah and the Lakshmi Gayatri
Lakshmi is worshipped as the goddess of prosperity, well-being and grace. Friday is her day, and Diwali night her greatest festival.
Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah: the Lakshmi mantra
ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः
Om Shrim Mahalakshmyai Namah
Source: A traditional seed-syllable mantra of Mahalakshmi; the same words occur in the Lakshmi-Narayana Samhita.
Meaning: "Om, shreem — salutation to Mahalakshmi." Shreem is Lakshmi's seed syllable; shri itself means radiance, beauty and good fortune.
When it is chanted: 108 times on Fridays, and in the Lakshmi puja of Diwali night.
Lakshmi Gayatri mantra
ॐ महालक्ष्म्यै च विद्महे विष्णुपत्न्यै च धीमहि ।
तन्नो लक्ष्मीः प्रचोदयात् ॥
Om Mahalakshmyai Cha Vidmahe Vishnupatnyai Cha Dhimahi
Tanno Lakshmih Prachodayat
Source: The Lakshmi Gayatri in the wording of the Lakshmi-Narayana Samhita (3.156.14). An older Upanishadic form opens 'mahadevyai cha vidmahe' instead.
Meaning: "May we know Mahalakshmi; may we meditate on the consort of Vishnu. May Lakshmi inspire us."
When it is chanted: In daily worship, and at Dhanteras and Diwali.
How to chant a Lakshmi mantra
- Keep to one mantra; changing mantras every few days is the commonest way a practice fades.
- Sit at the same time each day, after a bath if you can, facing east or north.
- Chant on a mala of 108 beads — one mala is the customary measure — and turn the mala at the larger meru bead rather than crossing it.
- Say the words clearly, at a pace you can keep; attention matters more than speed.
- The traditional time for Lakshmi is Friday; any day is fine for a daily practice.
Mantra practice belongs to a tradition of devotion and reflection. It is not a substitute for medical, legal or financial help, and no mantra comes with a promised result.
108 names of Lakshmi
The traditional list of Lakshmi's 108 names, each with its transliteration and meaning, numbered as it is recited.
Lakshmi mantra: common questions
Does chanting a Lakshmi mantra bring money?
No mantra comes with a guarantee of money or of any other result. In tradition Lakshmi stands for prosperity together with right conduct and effort, and her mantras are a practice of gratitude and steadiness, not a financial plan.
How many times should a Lakshmi mantra be chanted?
One mala of 108 is the customary daily measure. Some keep a larger vow, such as eleven malas, or a number completed over forty days; follow your own teacher's or family's practice where it differs.