Varalakshmi Pooja

VARALAKSHMI POOJA

Hi,

I'm sharing the details about how to do Varalakshmi Pooja at home. It'll be helpful for people who does it for first time.

 Lets see the Neivedyam varieties,  Pooja requirements etc.

Prasadams-

Paccharisi Idly, Medu Vadai, Poorana kozhukattai, appam, payasam, Sundal, Poli

You can make anything you want, those who fast usually have paccharisi Idly.

Regular no onion no garlic lunch menu to be followed.

Items required for Varalakshmi Pooja

• Maa Kolam- soak raw rice for an hour and grind to smooth paste, adjust consistency to draw Kolam-.
• Thambaalam or a big plate
•  Banana leaves/ vazhai ilai
• Raw Rice/Paccharisi – as needed ( to spread over the ilai and to fill kalasam)
• One Kudam/Kalasa Sombu( silver, bronze or copper)
• Maavilai ( to keep on top of kalasam and to tie thoranam)
• One coconut for kalasam and few more for thamboolam bag
• Turmeric powder ( for making manual pillaiyar)
• Kumkum
• Chadhanam
• Akshathai ( Raw rice coated with turmeric/Manjal podi)
• Face of goddess ( Available Online and Markets)
• Accessories- as you wish to decorate ambal
• Dress and blouse piece for Lakshmi (Handstitch or machine stitch or simply buy in market)
• Flowers and garland ( udhiri poo for archanai & decoration)
• Betel leaves, Betel nut, Banana ( Vetrilai,Paaku,Vazhai Pazham)
• Nombu Charadu (Those who have practice)- Count: As per your family ladies head count and 1 for ambal
• Fruits ( all seasonal fruits)
• Naivedyam recipes ( Idli, Sweet  kozhukattai, etc based on your tradition).
• Thamboolam set of kumkum,chandan,bangles, Betel leaves and nuts, Yellow rope, blouse pieces, coconut, fruit – keep them ready as per the number of ladies you invite.

Preliminary works for Varalakshmi Pooja

On Thursday morning,wash all the pooja vessels and kalasam pot.Wash the lamps, keep kumkum dots and put threads. Oil the lamp and keep it ready for the next day use.

Make/Get/Buy the nombu charadu and arrange the other pooja things in a plate.

You can also prepare the stuffing for sweet poorana kozhukattai and refrigerate, soak for sundal and grind the batter for paccharisi idli.

Ambal Azhaippu on Thursday evening

On thursday evening around 5.30 pm, sweep the entrance of each room (Nilai padi/vaasal padi).

Place ambal in a manai, show mangala arrathi and invite ambal from your entrance, one from your family can hold the manai with ambal at entrance while you take aarthi and invite.

This pooja is done to welcome Goddess Lakshmi and it shows the beginning of next day function.

Light the lamp, perform pooja by keeping some neivdeyam like sundal , sweet appam etc. 

You can keep the manai and place a banana leaf over it. Spread the raw rice and keep it ready for next day’s pooja. Remember you should not keep the kalasam now. It should be kept only on Friday.

Varalakshmi Pooja Slokam-

Lakshmi Ksheerasamudra rajatanyam sri rangadhameswareem
Dasibootha samastha devavanitham lokaika deepamkuram
Sri manmanda kataksha labdhivibhat brahmendra gangadharam
Twam trayamlokya kutumbhineem sasijavandemukunda priyam

Please make the kalasam according to your tradition. On the top of kalasha, place 5 mango leaves( keep in odd numbers) and keep a coconut smeared with turmeric.The tail portion of coconut should face upward.Kalasam should face east.  After making the kalasam, keep a kumkum dot and keep aside till you make other arrangements.

Decorate the idol with dress and accessories and garlands.You can dress it with a tucked saree or skirt (Pavadai). Put some jewels (Preferably gold) and tie a charadu around neck. Keep chandanam & KumKum dots. Now Goddess Lakshmi idol is ready to perform pooja. 

Make a manjal Pillayar using turmeric powder mixed with water and keep it near the kalasam in a separate leaf or a Pooja plate. Light the lamps at the time of pooja and start doing it.

How to Perform Varalakshmi Pooja

Lets see how to do Varalakshmi Pooja with all slokhas below. 

Pillaiyar pooja

Any auspicious festival should be started with Pillaiyar pooja. To the manjal pillaiyar, keep dots with KumKum and place a foower. Read the sthothram given below and worship him to do this pooja without any obstacle and after chanting the sthothram, move the Ganesh towards North direction.

Shukla-Ambara-Dharam Vissnnum Shashi-Varnnam Chatur-Bhujam |
Prasanna-Vadanam Dhyaayet Sarva-Vighno[a-U]pashaantaye ||

After finishing Ganesha pooja, take some flowers and akshatha in hand and chant the sloka and offer the flowers and akshathai to kalasam. 

Following this, chant Lakshmi Ashtothram(108) by offering flowers to Kalasha.

Chant VARALAKSHMI POOJA Slokam- Lakshmi Ksheera samudra.........(above mentioned)

Finally, Mangala Harathi is performed to ambal.

Tie the nombu saradu.

You can ask your Husband to do this. At the end, take harathi by mixing turmeric & kumkum in water. Sing the Harathi song while taking mangala aarathi.

Read the Varalakshmi Vratham story after this. It's available on YouTube and Google

Evening, after lighting lamp, keep ready the thamboolam and invite the ladies nearby.

 Thamboolam – Coconut, betel leaf and nuts, turmeric, kumkum, coconut along with flowers is offered to women in the locality and in the evening an Harathi is offered to Lakshmi with some neivedyam.

Punar Poojai - How To Remove Kalasam

On Saturday morning, after taking bath, perform a pooja for the kalasam.Then dismantle it at auspicious time of the day.  Consume little water as theertha. Sprinkle it all around in the house. Then pour the remaining water in well, trees or tulsi plant.

 The rice is used in Kalasam, mix it with rice in the house. If you used coins, keep in the locker safe. You can remove the nonbu saradu after 3 days or on Saturday.

If you want to strictly follow all the rules and methods of Varalakshmi Puja, then it would be wise to take the advice from an elderly woman who is regularly performing the puja. What I have shared here is purely based on the procedure given in book and pooja method we follow.

Hope it helps 😊

Thank you all and stay safe 🙏