Deepawali Puja Mantras: Diwali Lakshmi, Yama Deep & Govardhan
Deepawali Puja Mantras - Sanskrit Text
लक्ष्मी बीज मन्त्र:
ॐ ह्रीं श्रीं लक्ष्म्यै नमः॥
महालक्ष्मी प्रार्थना मन्त्र:
नमस्तेऽस्तु महामाये श्रीपीठे सुरपूजिते।
शङ्खचक्रगदाहस्ते महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते॥
यम दीप मन्त्र (यम दीपदान):
मृत्युना पाशदण्डाभ्यां कालेन श्यामया सह।
त्रयोदश्यां दीपदानात्सूर्यजः प्रीयतां मम॥
नरक चतुर्दशी दीपदान मन्त्र:
दत्तो दीपश्चतुर्दश्यां नरकप्रीतये मया।
चतुर्वर्तिसमायुक्तः सर्वपापापनुत्तये॥
गोवर्धन पूजा मन्त्र:
गोवर्धन धराधार गोकुलत्राणकारक।
विष्णुबाहुकृतच्छाय गवां कोटिप्रदो भव॥
गौ पूजन मन्त्र:
लक्ष्मीर्या लोकपालानां धेनुरूपेण संस्थिता।
घृतं वहति यज्ञार्थे मम पापं व्यपोहतु॥
यम द्वितीया (भाई दूज) मन्त्र:
एह्येहि मार्तण्डज पाशहस्त यमान्तकालोकधराधरेश।
भ्रातृद्वितीयाकृतदेवपूजां गृहाण चार्घ्यं भगवन्नमस्ते॥
Transliteration (Roman/IAST)
Lakshmi bija: oṁ hrīṁ śrīṁ lakṣmyai namaḥ.
Mahalakshmi prayer: namaste'stu mahāmāye śrīpīṭhe surapūjite · śaṅkhacakragadāhaste mahālakṣmi namo'stu te.
Yama Deep: mṛtyunā pāśadaṇḍābhyāṁ kālena śyāmayā saha · trayodaśyāṁ dīpadānāt sūryajaḥ prīyatāṁ mama.
Govardhana: govardhana dharādhāra gokulatrāṇakāraka · viṣṇubāhukṛtacchāya gavāṁ koṭiprado bhava.
Meaning
These are the mantras chanted across the five days of Deepawali. The Lakshmi bija and prayer invoke Mahalakshmi - the great primordial Maya seated on the lotus throne, bearing conch, discus, and mace - for wealth and grace. The Yama Deep mantra, offered on Dhanteras / Naraka Chaturdashi, lights a lamp to Yama so that the family is spared untimely death by the noose and rod of death. The Govardhan mantra salutes Krishna who lifted Govardhan hill to shelter the cowherds and prays for abundance of cattle, and the Gau-puja mantra honours the cow as the embodiment of Lakshmi. The Yama Dwitiya (Bhai Dooj) mantra welcomes Yama as the brother who blesses the bond of sister and brother.
About these Mantras
Deepawali, the festival of lights, unfolds over several days, each with its own ritual and presiding deity - Dhanteras and the lamp to Yama, Naraka Chaturdashi, the Lakshmi-Ganesha puja on Amavasya night, Govardhan Puja and Annakut, and Yama Dwitiya (Bhai Dooj). This collection gathers the short, traditional mantras used in those observances, drawn from Puranic ritual manuals. They are spoken while lighting lamps, offering arghya, worshipping the cow and Govardhan, and invoking the goddess of fortune into the home.
Significance & Spiritual Benefits
The Deepawali mantras together invite prosperity, protection from untimely death, the blessing of abundance, and the strengthening of family bonds. Lighting the Yama Deep is believed to guard the household for the coming year; the Lakshmi mantras draw wealth and auspiciousness; the Govardhan and Gau mantras secure plenty and the goodwill of nourishing nature. Recited with a clean, lamp-lit home and a settled heart, they consecrate the whole festival.
Astrological Relevance
Deepawali falls on the Kartika Amavasya, the darkest new-moon night, when the worship of Lakshmi is held to be most potent. In Vedic astrology Lakshmi governs the wealth-houses - the second (accumulated assets) and eleventh (gains and income) - and her grace is sought to strengthen a weak Shukra (Venus, the planet of luxury and comfort) and Guru (Jupiter, the planet of abundance). The Yama Deep, offered to the son of Surya and lord of the south, is a remedy invoking protection associated with Shani (Saturn) and the disciplined ordering of life and death. Lighting lamps on Amavasya is itself a classic remedy to dispel the heaviness of a malefic Moon.
How to Chant (Vidhi)
Clean and decorate the home, draw a rangoli, and light rows of lamps. On Dhanteras evening, light the Yama Deep facing south with the Yama mantra. On Amavasya night perform Lakshmi-Ganesha puja, reciting the Lakshmi bija and prayer while offering lotus, sweets, and coins. On the following days offer the Govardhan and Gau mantras during Annakut, and the Yama Dwitiya mantra at Bhai Dooj.
Best Day & Time
Each mantra has its appointed day within the Deepawali sequence - Dhanteras and Naraka Chaturdashi for the lamp mantras, Kartika Amavasya night (especially during the auspicious Pradosha and Nishita muhurtas) for Lakshmi puja, and the day after Amavasya for Govardhan, with Yama Dwitiya on the second day of the bright fortnight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which mantra is used for the Deepawali Lakshmi puja?
The Lakshmi bija mantra "Om Hrim Shrim Lakshmyai Namah" and the Mahalakshmi prayer "Namaste'stu Mahamaye" are the core mantras chanted while worshipping the goddess on Amavasya night.
What is the Yama Deep mantra for?
It accompanies the lighting of a lamp to Yama, the lord of death, on Dhanteras/Naraka Chaturdashi, praying for protection of the family from untimely death in the year ahead.
Can these mantras be chanted at home without a priest?
Yes. They are simple traditional verses meant for household worship; chant them with devotion while performing the corresponding lamp-lighting or puja.
Five days of light, five layers of sacred intention
The Deepawali Puja Mantras collected here span the five-day arc of the festival of lights, and together they reveal how richly layered the occasion is beyond its popular image. The Lakshmi bija invocation aligns the practitioner with the principle of auspiciousness and material abundance; the Mahalakshmi prayer deepens this into a recognition of the goddess as the sustaining power behind all flourishing. The Yama Deep mantra, chanted while offering a lamp in the direction of the south on the fourteenth lunar day, acknowledges Yama, the lord of death and dharma, in a spirit of respect rather than fear - a profound reminder that Deepawali encompasses both life and death within its radiance. The Govardhan and Gau puja mantras, offered on the day following Diwali's main night, connect the festival to gratitude for nature's abundance and to the memory of Krishna's act of protection.
In the Jyotish tradition, Venus (Shukra) and Jupiter (Guru) are the primary graha linked to Lakshmi's grace, while the Yama lamp ritual resonates with Saturn's domain of karma, time, and righteous conduct. Performing these mantras with their correct context - not merely as isolated formulas but as part of a living five-day ceremonial arc - is, devotees believe, a way of receiving the full spectrum of Deepawali's blessings: prosperity, protection from untimely harm, gratitude to the natural world, and a renewed commitment to dharmic life in the year ahead.