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New Delhi: Many festivals in India celebrate the energy of the divine feminine. The Varalakshmi Vratam is one such famous festival, particularly celebrated in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The fasting for Varalakshmi Vratam is done on the second Friday of the Shukla Paksha of Sawan. It is an auspicious day for married women, who observe fast, pray and seek blessings from Goddess Lakshmi for the prosperity, fertility, good health, and overall well-being of their families.
The vratam invokes the grace of Ashta Lakshmi, or the eight manifestations of the Goddess. These eight forms are Adi Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi, Gaja Lakshmi, Santana Lakshmi, Veera Lakshmi, Vijaya Lakshmi, and Vidya Lakshmi. When we speak of wealth, it doesn’t only mean money or earthly wealth. Each represents different aspects of wealth, such as courage, success, progeny, and wisdom.
Varalakshmi Vratham 2025 will be celebrated on August 8. The ideal timing is during the early morning hours when the house is calm and sacred rituals can be performed uninterrupted.
Women begin preparations for the Varalakshmi Vratam on Thursday. On the day of the festival, devotees wake up at dawn, wear new traditional clothes, and draw lovely rangoli designs or kolam at the place of pooja.
A washed bronze or silver kalash (pot) is placed on the mound of rice. Sandalwood paste is smeared, and a swastika sign is drawn upon it. The kalash is filled with rice, coins, and turmeric, decorating it with mango leaves and a coconut, and placing a Lakshmi idol or face on it.
Devotees offer prayers, flowers, fruits, and sweets, chant Lakshmi mantras, and tie a yellow thread (charadu) on their wrists.
Special dishes are cooked, including sweet pongal, sundal, kozhukattai, payasam, and other traditional items. These offerings are symbolic of abundance and are served to both the Goddess and the visiting women, who are honoured as manifestations of Lakshmi herself.
Women decorate the worship place and houses with beautiful, fragrant flowers like marigolds, roses, and jasmine. These intricate designs adorn the altar, entrances, and doorsteps. These flowers symbolise purity, prosperity, and auspiciousness.
The pooja begins with the worship of Lord Ganesha. Pongal is served as a prasad in the southern states. The kalash is then subjected to aarti.
Women observe a fast for the day and disassemble the kalash on Saturday. The water from the kalasha is used to hydrate the entire home, and any used rice is combined with the rice that has been kept there.
Varalaksmi Vratam’s primary goal is to offer sincere prayers to Goddess Lakshmi. Like any other festival, on this auspicious day, family and friends come together. Women seek blessings from Goddess Lakshmi for fertility, prosperity, knowledge, money, fortune, and a long life for their respective husbands.
Varalakshmi Vratam reflects the grace, patience, and power of the divine feminine that resides in every woman. The celebration makes it the ideal day for spending time with your family members and listening to the interesting mythological stories. So, cherish this important day.
Happy Varalamahalakshmi Vratam!
