Laxmi Pujan and Diwali: Exploring the Connection with the Festival of Lights 

Deepavali is a festival celebrated throughout India in different traditions it is said to be a festival of lights. Without any religious barrier people celebrated this festival together, lighting crackers, lamps, and lanterns distributing sweets, and having mary time. The word Deepavali means a line of lamps, denoting the incident of Ram’s return to Ayodhya and people lighting lamps in a line all to way towards his palace. The festival falls on the 15th day of Karthik month according to the Hindu Lunar calendar, which is not fixed but, Diwali 2023 starts on the 10th of November spanning five days ahead.  

Why is Deepavali Celebrated? 

With all the celebrations it also has high cultural significance referring back to ancient times and having multifaceted reasons for its celebration. 

• The Primary legend about Diwali and the reason for its celebration is the return of Lord Ram to his kingdom Ayodhya after the long exile of 14 years. In the joy of their loved prince’s return, the villagers celebrated by lighting the path for him as it was the new moon night.
• It marks the victory of good over evil in general, celebrating the end of Ravan’s atrocities and the victory of righteousness. The action of lighting lanterns and lamps symbolizes brightening the night of Amavashya when Laxmi Puja Vidhi is done to praise goddess Laxmi and bring brightness in all forms be it destroying ignorance, evil, or anything negative  
• In Jain tradition, it marks the spiritual awakening of lord Mahavir, in Sikh tradition it signifies liberation day, it also marks a new year in some Hindu religion 

Why do We Do Laxmi Puja on Diwali? 

Laxmi Pujan is an integral part of the Diwali festival celebrated by Hindus, Jain, and some Buddhists around the world. Deepavali Lakshmi Pooja is dedicated worship to the goddess Lakshmi the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, and abundance. There are several rituals involved in puja kriya, first let’s know the significance of Laxmi Puja,

• Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped as the goddess of wealth, an energy that manifests the complete material and spiritual well-being of a person, and her pooja is done to invoke her blessing for prosperity and wealth in the coming year. The Diwali Laxmi Poojan Vidhi is done on the third day of Diwali, it is believed that worshipping Goddess Laxmi helps bring strength and calmness to a person. 

• Some attribute Mata Lakshmi with lakshya, which is connected to goals hence some feel that praising her would provide them focus and material goals in life as she is Shakti who directs a person to their life goals

• During Diwali Laxmi Poojan the Goddess Mahalaxmi is invoked who denotes great wealth which includes all the eight aspects, Adi Lakshmi, Dhairya Lakshmi, Vijaya Lakshmi, Vidhya Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi, Santana Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi, and Bhagya Lakshmi denoted as Asthalaxmi, along with all these aspects she denotes material and spiritual wellbeing of a person in all the three worlds, Adhibhautik, Adhidaivik, and Adhyatmik 

• The Deepavali Lakshmi Pooja Vidhi is done on the dark night of Amavasya and in Hinduism is not considered that good Laxmi Puja Vidhi is done on the same day, people light up the night with Diyas and lanterns in all four directions so that the goddess would reside in their abode. It is believed that goddess Lakshmi comes to earth and blesses those who light the dark night with diyas and bless them with abundance  

What Should Be Done on Laxmi Pujan? 

On the auspicious day of Deepavali Lakshmi Pooja, there are certain things religiously followed by many to appease the goddess. There is a great importance to Diwali Laxmi Poojan hence the preparation of the actual pooja and the post ritual are something important and each action has significance.

• Before the puja, it is essential to clean and decorate their homes to welcome Goddess Laxmi as it is believed that the goddess resides in clean and bright places. People even create rangoli, and light diyas and use floral decorations to make the environment inviting and blissful 

• The Diwali Laxmi Poojan time is generally during the evening on the third day of the five-day festival stating the exact time would not be possible but for Diwali 2023 the times are stated from 05:59 to 08:33 at night according to the Lunar Hindu calendar

• Before the pooja, it is advised to take a bath and wear clean new clothes to maintain the ‘Satvikta’ of the ritual the Laxmi Puja Vidhi rituals include starting with Ganesh Pooja worshipping Lord Ganesh as he is Prathampujya the remover of obstacles so that the puja proceeds smoothly without hindrances 

• After Ganesh puja Goddess Laxmi is worshipped, this involves chanting mantra, lighting oil or ghee lamp, and offering flowers and fruits along with special dishes or sweets, some even keep their jewelry or elements that denote their wealth or property in the Laxmi Puja Vidhi. The Mahalaxmi Aarti is performed to praise the attributes of the goddess and invoke her blessings to maintain spiritual and material satisfaction in their life 

• One can invite a professional Pandit for the pooja or there are alternatives like Diwali Laxmi Poojan Vidhi videos availabe online that describe the necessities and whole rituals of the kriya

• Some random activities or practices that have grown through the years on Deepavali Lakshmi Pooja include lighting firecrackers, playing gambling games as a social event, exchanging gifts and sweets to spread goodwill and happiness, organizing feasts to unite the family for dinner 

• Along with domestic-level celebrations, there are also community celebrations held in societies, local areas, or temples for devotees to enjoy the process of celebration and praising the goddess together so the significance of Laxmi Puja is not only tradition but social as time has evolved

If one looks through the traditional aspect there are obvious answers as to why we do Laxmi Puja on Diwali. Deepavali is a festival of lights symbolism of victory of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and right over wrong. So, Goddess Laxmi is evoked who is the Shakti denoting material and spiritual abundance stabilizing the bliss, prosperity, mental, and physical well-being so that the evil and negativity would be defeated.