For Prosperity That Never Goes Away

You must be familiar with the Lakshmi Narayana Hridaya Stotram, with which Lakshmi, along with Lord Narayana, is prayed to for prosperity that never goes away.

Lakshmi Devi’s basic nature is that she never stays in one place for long.

We have heard about great dynasties that were very prosperous and ruled over huge territories. But where are they now? Some of their descendants are even struggling for day-to-day living.

Why is this so?

Because Lakshmi Devi, who is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, does not stay with anyone for long.

Lakshmi Narayana Hridayam is a prayer to the Goddess, asking her to stay with us forever, never to go away.

The audio is available on the Vedadhara website. You can download and listen to it and pray to her.

Visualization of Lakshmi Devi

Now, we will see how to visualize her when you listen to this Stotra.

Visualization is very important.

If you visualize correctly and keep your mind focused on that form of Devi, then the result will be a thousand times, ten thousand times greater. Otherwise, your mind will keep wandering, which is not good.

वन्दे लक्ष्मीं परशिवमयीं शुद्धजाम्बूनदाभाम्
तेजोरूपां कनकवसनां सर्वभूषोज्ज्वलाङ्गीम्
बीजापूरं कनककलशं हेमपद्मं दधानां
आद्यां शक्तिं सकलजननीं सर्वमाङ्गल्ययुक्ताम्

She is Para Shiva Mayi—what is Shivatvam?

All kinds of auspiciousness—happiness arising out of wealth, health, abundance, a good dwelling place, a good neighborhood, good and supportive relatives, good neighbors, good livelihood, good weather, cheerful people all around—whatever you can think of that can make you happy: good music, everything that can make you happy, keep you happy.

Multiply this by a crore times or a hundred crore times. The happiness it can give you, that is what her presence can give you.

Because if she comes, she comes with all these.

If she is present somewhere, all these are present there.

How to Bring Her Presence

• Keep her photo—she comes.
• Chant her shloka, stotra, mantra—she comes.
• Go to her temple—she comes with you when you come back home.
• More than everything else, think about her, keep remembering her every now and then.

When you do that, what exactly is it?

She becomes present in your mind.

It is like building a temple for her in your mind.

So, wherever you go, this temple and Devi go with you.

If you can attain this, it is not at all difficult—because as you go on visualizing, the image becomes clearer and clearer in your mind. Each day, it becomes more and more clear.

You can recall this image whenever you want, wherever you are.

And when you do that, be sure that she is with you, wherever you are.

And wherever she is, she will spread prosperity, health, wealth, and happiness—all that we saw earlier.

This is why she is called Para Shiva Mayi.

The usefulness of the Dhyana Shloka is to help you visualize.

Unless you visualize, it will not help.

With visualization, you can bring her presence within your mind, and her mere presence will bring all these—wealth, health, position, abundance, and happiness around you.

Do you see the connection?

By bringing her inside your mind, she will never go away.

Nothing will take her away from your mind. Nothing can take her away from your mind.

That means she is with you forever, not going anywhere.

Shuddha Jambunadabham—Her Color

What is her color?

Jambunada means a kind of gold.

Do you know where this gold comes from?

There is a huge tree called Sudarshana, also known as Jambu Vriksha—so huge that it touches Swarga Loka.

There are fruits on that tree.

By the way, Jambu Dweepa—we say Jambu Dweepe Bharata Varshe in Sankalpa.

Jambu Dweepa got this name because of this Jambu Vriksha.

There are fruits on this Jambu tree as big as elephants.

Since the tree is so huge and tall, when these fruits fall from the tree, they do so with a loud thud and smash.

When they smash, their juice comes out, which is golden in color.

Imagine—so many such fruits keep on falling. The color of this juice is silver.

This juice becomes a river and starts flowing into Ilavrita, which is one among the nine Varshas of Jambu Dweepa, like our Bharata Varsha—another Varsha.

This river, Jambu Nadi, flows into Ilavrita after circumambulating Meru Parvata.

And this river, which is until now silver-colored, converts the sand on both its banks into gold after penetrating the sand particles.

With the help of Surya Deva and Vayu Deva—there is a process here, a chemical process that happens with the heat from the Sun and the air.

And after a long time, they turn into gold.

Our Goddess here has the color of this gold.

And her dress is also golden in color—Kanakavasa.

No wonder, she herself is golden in color, wearing golden clothes.

So, she is Tejoroopa—brilliant, shining.

She is Sarva Bhooshojjvalangi—wearing all kinds of appropriate ornaments: crown, necklace, ear studs, bangles, anklets.

This is for you to visualize.

The Significance of Her Hands

Here, Devi has two hands.

• In the right hand, she is holding a golden pot filled with pomegranate seeds.
• In the left hand, she is holding a golden lotus—an open, blossomed lotus.

What is the significance of this?

The Goddess will give you seeds. She is holding them to give to you.

She will only give you seeds.

It is up to you to plant them and nurture them. That needs your commitment and hard work.

She will not give you potfuls of gold, silver, and gems.

She will give you ideas and opportunities.

Not just wealth, even happiness in the family—she will give you ideas and opportunities to make people around you happy.

You keep them happy, and they will keep you happy.

Why pomegranate?

Because pomegranate has so many seeds.

She will give you so many chances and opportunities.

It is up to you to recognize them and take advantage of them.

Then what happens?

They will blossom into a golden lotus.

That will become your life experience.

Your life will become like a blossomed golden lotus—so brilliant.

Because she is Adya Shakti—all-powerful. She can do everything.

And she is Sakala Janani—mother of everything.

What does a mother do?

She can bring a child into this world—a child that did not exist before.

Like that, she can also bring anything into your life.

She has everything with her—Sarva Mangalya Yukta.

She only has to give them to you.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi