Mahalakshmi Mantra (Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah)

The Mahalakshmi Mantra — "Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah", the salutation mantra of Goddess Mahalakshmi, together with the Mahalakshmi Gayatri.

Meaning

With the wealth-seed "Shreem", the mantra bows to Mahalakshmi, the great Goddess of fortune and consort of Lord Vishnu. The Mahalakshmi Gayatri then meditates upon her as Vishnupatni — "We know Mahalakshmi, we meditate upon the consort of Vishnu; may that Lakshmi inspire and illumine us."

Benefits

Chanted (especially on Fridays, Purnima and at Diwali) for wealth, abundance, harmony and grace; a gentle, complete salutation mantra suited to daily japa, and the classical mantra of devotees whose chosen deity (Istha Devta) is Goddess Mahalakshmi.

Word by Word Meaning

Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah — "Om, Shreem, salutation to Mahalakshmi." The single seed Shreem carries the essence of the Goddess of fortune; Mahalakshmyai is the dative "unto the great Lakshmi"; Namah completes the bow. The Mahalakshmi Gayatri then unfolds the same devotion in the Gayatri pattern: Mahalakshmyai cha vidmahe — "we know Mahalakshmi"; Vishnu-patnyai cha dhimahi — "we meditate on the consort of Vishnu"; tanno Lakshmih prachodayat — "may that Lakshmi inspire us." Calling her Vishnupatni places wealth beside preservation and duty: fortune in the service of a well-kept life.

How to Chant

This is the gentlest of the Lakshmi mantras and the best suited to daily japa: 108 repetitions each morning or on Friday evenings before a lamp. Purnima (full moon) days, Diwali and Varalakshmi Vratam are the high occasions — the Moon Calendar lists every Purnima of the year. Offer white or pink flowers, keep the entrance of the home clean and lit, and chant the salutation mantra for the count with the Gayatri recited three times before and after.

Who Chants It, and When

Devotees whose chosen deity (Ishta Devta) is Lakshmi keep this as their root mantra; families chant it together on Fridays; it is also the mantra tradition gives to those who feel wealth comes and goes without stability — the salutation form is said to invite Lakshmi to stay rather than visit. In the birth chart, Venus and the second and eleventh houses govern wealth, and this mantra is a classical support alongside that analysis; you can explore your own indicators with the Dhan Yoga calculator.

Mahalakshmi's fuller tradition names eight forms — the Ashta Lakshmi — of which money is only one: grain, courage, progeny, victory, knowledge and more each have their Lakshmi. The salutation mantra addresses her in all eight at once, which is why families chant it for a marriage, a harvest, an examination or a recovery alike. Keeping the Friday practice alongside honest accounts and a lit entrance lamp at dusk is the complete household form.

The Mahalakshmi Mantra (Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah) above is given in both Devanagari (Sanskrit) and Roman transliteration so you can read it in whichever script you are comfortable with — switch between the two using the buttons above, share the link, or download a PDF.