श्रीगणेशाय नमः॥
श्रीपराशर उवाच
सिंहासनगतः शक्रस्सम्प्राप्य त्रिदिवं पुनः।
देवराज्ये स्थितो देवीं तुष्टावाब्जकरां ततः॥1॥
इन्द्र उवाच
नमस्ये सर्वलोकानां जननीमब्जसम्भवाम्।
श्रियमुन्निद्रपद्माक्षीं विष्णुवक्षःस्थलस्थिताम्॥2॥
पद्मालयां पद्मकरां पद्मपत्रनिभेक्षणाम्।
वन्दे पद्ममुखीं देवीं पद्मनाभप्रियामहम्॥3॥
त्वं सिद्धिस्त्वं स्वधा स्वाहा सुधा त्वं लोकपावनी।
सन्ध्या रात्रिः प्रभा भूतिर्मेधा श्रद्धा सरस्वती॥4॥
यज्ञविद्या महाविद्या गुह्यविद्या च शोभने।
आत्मविद्या च देवि त्वं विमुक्तिफलदायिनी॥5॥
आन्वीक्षिकी त्रयीवार्ता दण्डनीतिस्त्वमेव च।
सौम्यासौम्यैर्जगद्रूपैस्त्वयैतद्देवि पूरितम्॥6॥
का त्वन्या त्वमृते देवि सर्वयज्ञमयं वपुः।
अध्यास्ते देवदेवस्य योगचिन्त्यं गदाभृतः॥7॥
त्वया देवि परित्यक्तं सकलं भुवनत्रयम्।
विनष्टप्रायमभवत्त्वयेदानीं समेधितम्॥8॥
दाराः पुत्रास्तथाऽऽगारं सुहृद्धान्यधनादिकम्।
भवत्येतन्महाभागे नित्यं त्वद्वीक्षणान्नृणाम्॥9॥
शरीरारोग्यमैश्वर्यमरिपक्षक्षयः सुखम्।
देवि त्वद्दृष्टिदृष्टानां पुरुषाणां न दुर्लभम्॥10॥
त्वमम्बा सर्वभूतानां देवदेवो हरिः पिता।
त्वयैतद्विष्णुना चाम्ब जगद्व्याप्तं चराचरम्॥11॥
मा नः कोशं तथा गोष्ठं मा गृहं मा परिच्छदम्।
मा शरीरं कलत्रं च त्यजेथाः सर्वपावनि॥12॥
मा पुत्रान्मा सुहृद्वर्गान्मा पशून्मा विभूषणम्।
त्यजेथा मम देवस्य विष्णोर्वक्षःस्थलाश्रये॥13॥
सत्त्वेन सत्यशौचाभ्यां तथा शीलादिभिर्गुणैः।
त्यज्यन्ते ते नराः सद्यः सन्त्यक्ता ये त्वयाऽमले॥14॥
त्वयाऽवलोकिताः सद्यः शीलाद्यैरखिलैर्गुणैः।
कुलैश्वर्यैश्च युज्यन्ते पुरुषा निर्गुणा अपि॥15॥
स श्लाघ्यः स गुणी धन्यः स कुलीनः स बुद्धिमान्।
स शूरः स च विक्रान्तो यस्त्वया देवि वीक्षितः॥16॥
सद्यो वैगुण्यमायान्ति शीलाद्याः सकला गुणाः।
पराङ्मुखी जगद्धात्री यस्य त्वं विष्णुवल्लभे॥17॥
न ते वर्णयितुं शक्ता गुणाञ्जिह्वाऽपि वेधसः।
प्रसीद देवि पद्माक्षि माऽस्मांस्त्याक्षीः कदाचन॥18॥
श्रीपराशर उवाच
एवं श्रीः संस्तुता सम्यक् प्राह हृष्टा शतक्रतुम्।
शृण्वतां सर्वदेवानां सर्वभूतस्थिता द्विज॥19॥
श्रीरुवाच
परितुष्टास्मि देवेश स्तोत्रेणानेन ते हरेः।
वरं वृणीष्व यस्त्विष्टो वरदाऽहं तवागता॥20॥
इन्द्र उवाच
वरदा यदि मे देवि वरार्हो यदि वाऽप्यहम्।
त्रैलोक्यं न त्वया त्याज्यमेष मेऽस्तु वरः परः॥21॥
स्तोत्रेण यस्तवैतेन त्वां स्तोष्यत्यब्धिसम्भवे।
स त्वया न परित्याज्यो द्वितीयोऽस्तु वरो मम॥22॥
श्रीरुवाच
त्रैलोक्यं त्रिदशश्रेष्ठ न सन्त्यक्ष्यामि वासव।
दत्तो वरो मयाऽयं ते स्तोत्राराधनतुष्टये॥23॥
यश्च सायं तथा प्रातः स्तोत्रेणानेन मानवः।
स्तोष्यते चेन्न तस्याहं भविष्यामि पराङ्मुखी॥24॥
श्रीपराशर उवाच
एवं वरं ददौ देवी देवराजाय वै पुरा।
मैत्रेय श्रीर्महाभागा स्तोत्राराधनतोषिता॥25॥
भृगोः ख्यात्यां समुत्पन्ना श्रीः पूर्वमुदधेः पुनः।
देवदानवयत्नेन प्रसूताऽमृतमन्थने॥26॥
एवं यदा जगत्स्वामी देवदेवो जनार्दनः।
अवतारं करोत्येष तदा श्रीस्तत्सहायिनी॥27॥
पुनश्च पद्मा सम्भूता यदाऽदित्योऽभवद्धरिः।
यदा च भार्गवो रामस्तदाभूद्धरणीत्वियम्॥28॥
राघवत्वेऽभवत्सीता रुक्मिणी कृष्णजन्मनि।
अन्येषु चावतारेषु विष्णोरेषाऽनपायिनी॥29॥
देवत्वे देवदेहेयं मानुषत्वे च मानुषी।
विष्णोर्देहानुरूपां वै करोत्येषाऽऽत्मनस्तनुम्॥30॥
यश्चैतच्छृणुयाज्जन्म लक्ष्म्या यश्च पठेन्नरः।
श्रियो न विच्युतिस्तस्य गृहे यावत्कुलत्रयम्॥31॥
पठ्यते येषु चैवर्क्षे गृहेषु श्रीस्तवं मुने।
अलक्ष्मीः कलहाधारा न तेष्वास्ते कदाचन॥32॥
एतत्ते कथितं ब्रह्मन्यन्मां त्वं परिपृच्छसि।
क्षीराब्धौ श्रीर्यथा जाता पूर्वं भृगुसुता सती॥33॥
इति सकलविभूत्यवाप्तिहेतुः स्तुतिरियमिन्द्रमुखोद्गता हि लक्ष्म्याः।
अनुदिनमिह पठ्यते नृभिर्यैर्वसति न तेषु कदाचिदप्यलक्ष्मीः॥34॥
॥ इति श्रीविष्णुपुराणे महालक्ष्मीस्तोत्रं सम्पूर्णम्॥
This Lakshmi Stotra of Indra runs to thirty-four verses. Its devotional core, the praise of the Goddess, opens:
namasye sarvalokānāṃ jananīm abjasambhavām। śriyam unnidrapadmākṣīṃ viṣṇuvakṣaḥsthalasthitām॥2॥
padmālayāṃ padmakarāṃ padmapatranibhekṣaṇām। vande padmamukhīṃ devīṃ padmanābhapriyām aham॥3॥
tvaṃ siddhis tvaṃ svadhā svāhā sudhā tvaṃ lokapāvanī। sandhyā rātriḥ prabhā bhūtir medhā śraddhā sarasvatī॥4॥
tvam ambā sarvabhūtānāṃ devadevo hariḥ pitā। tvayaitad viṣṇunā cāmba jagad vyāptaṃ carācaram॥11॥
paṭhyate yeṣu caivarkṣe gṛheṣu śrīstavaṃ mune। alakṣmīḥ kalahādhārā na teṣv āste kadācana॥32॥
(The full Devanagari above is the authoritative text for recitation.)
This is the hymn with which Indra, restored to his throne and the kingdom of the gods, praised the lotus-bearing Goddess Lakshmi. He bows to her as the mother of all worlds, born of the lotus, the wide-eyed Sri who rests on Vishnu’s chest. He salutes her who dwells in the lotus, holds lotuses, has lotus-petal eyes and a lotus face — the beloved of Padmanabha.
He declares that she is Siddhi (attainment), Svadha and Svaha (the sacred offerings), the nectar that purifies the worlds; she is twilight, night, light, prosperity, intelligence, faith and Saraswati. She is the sacred sciences, the highest knowledge that bestows liberation. The whole threefold universe, abandoned by her, withers; revived by her glance, it flourishes. Wife, children, home, friends, grain, wealth — all come to mortals through her gaze. Health, fortune, the defeat of foes, and happiness are not hard to attain for those she beholds. "You are the mother of all beings," he sings, "and the God of gods, Hari, the father; by you and Vishnu this moving and unmoving world is pervaded."
Indra then begs her never to abandon his home, his treasury, his kin. Pleased, the Goddess grants two boons: she will not forsake the three worlds, and she will never turn away from anyone who recites this hymn morning and evening. The closing verses recount Lakshmi’s births — from Bhrigu and Khyati, from the churning of the milk-ocean — and how she ever accompanies Vishnu in each of his incarnations: as Sita to Rama, Rukmini to Krishna. The final verse promises that in homes where this hymn is recited daily, misfortune (Alakshmi), the root of strife, never dwells.
The Mahalakshmi Stotram is drawn from the Vishnu Purana (First Amsha), where it is narrated by the sage Parashara to Maitreya. Within the story, it is the praise that Indra offers to Lakshmi when she re-emerges from the churning of the ocean and the gods regain their fortune. As a passage of an ancient Purana, it is fully in the public domain and reproduced here in full. It is distinct from the more commonly heard "Namastestu Mahamaye" Mahalakshmi Ashtakam — this is the older Puranic hymn of Indra.
This stotra is among the most authoritative scriptural prayers to Lakshmi for wealth, prosperity and well-being. The Goddess herself promises within the text that she will never abandon those who recite it morning and evening — an explicit guarantee of her grace. Regular recitation is believed to draw lasting prosperity, harmony in the household, good health, victory over adversaries, and the banishment of Alakshmi (poverty and discord). Beyond material blessings, the hymn extols Lakshmi as supreme knowledge and the very power that animates creation, lifting the devotee’s aspiration toward liberation.
Goddess Lakshmi governs wealth, abundance and auspiciousness, and her worship is the classic remedy for an afflicted or weak Venus (Shukra) — karaka of luxury, comfort and prosperity — and for strengthening the Moon (Chandra) for emotional and material well-being. The hymn is especially recommended during adverse wealth-house (2nd and 11th) transits, in the dasha of malefics affecting finances, and for those troubled by chronic monetary instability or domestic discord (the "Alakshmi" the text dispels). Friday, ruled by Venus, is the foremost day for its recitation, as is Diwali.
After bathing, sit facing east or north before an image of Lakshmi (ideally with Vishnu, as Lakshmi-Narayana). Light a ghee lamp, offer red or pink lotus or other flowers, kumkum, and sweets. Invoke Ganesha first (the text itself opens with "Sri Ganeshaya Namah"), then recite the thirty-four verses with devotion. Reciting both at dawn and dusk fulfils the Goddess’s own stated condition for her unbroken grace. Conclude with "Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah" japa.
Friday is the most auspicious day, along with Diwali, Akshaya Tritiya, Sharad Purnima (Kojagari) and Lakshmi Puja days. The text specifically commends recitation at both morning (pratah) and evening (sayam).
It is from the Vishnu Purana, narrated by sage Parashara, and is the hymn Indra sings to Goddess Lakshmi when she re-emerges at the churning of the ocean. It is in the public domain.
No. The popular "Namastestu Mahamaye" Mahalakshmi Ashtakam is a separate, shorter hymn. This is the older, longer Puranic stotra of Indra from the Vishnu Purana.
Lakshmi herself grants that she will never turn away from anyone who recites this stotra morning and evening, and the text declares that misfortune and strife never dwell where it is recited daily.
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Indra's prayer and the cosmic grace of Shri Mahalakshmi
Among the many hymns dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, this stotram from the Vishnu Purana carries a distinctive narrative weight: it is sung by Indra, the king of the gods, who praises the Goddess after understanding that all abundance, sovereignty, and cosmic order flow from her grace. This context gives the composition a quality of royal surrender — a recognition that even the highest positions in creation are held only by her favour. Devotees therefore approach it in a spirit of deep gratitude rather than mere petition, acknowledging that prosperity, when it comes, is always her gift.
In the Jyotish tradition, Mahalakshmi is closely associated with Venus (Shukra), the planet of beauty, material ease, and refined pleasures, as well as the Moon (Chandra), which governs emotional contentment and the flow of abundance through the home. This stotra is traditionally recited on Fridays, on Sharad Purnima, and during Diwali, the festival most intimately linked to Lakshmi's arrival. Devotees believe that chanting it with a clean heart and a lamp lit before the Goddess's image invites not only material well-being but also the inner richness of contentment — the understanding that Lakshmi's presence is experienced first as peace of mind rather than coins in hand.