The most auspicious Varalakshmi Vratam was observed at Sivanandashram, Reservoir Hills on Friday, 8 August 2025, coinciding with the monthly Birthdate Satsang of Sri Swami Sivananda. Ganga Arati commenced at 5.30pm followed by Satsang. The Satsang programme comprised Kirtans, Bhajans, a reading and a DVD.
Sri Swami Sivananda’s profound message on the significance of Mother Lakshmi is captured in the reading from Yoga Lessons for Children, Volume 1. The Master said, “The Vedas describe Mother Lakshmi as the Goddess of riches. God now manifests in the form of wealth. There is material wealth as well as spiritual wealth. Mother Lakshmi provides us with both, but many people think of Her as a symbol of material wealth only; and it is true that She will grant us this if we so desire. But on the spiritual path, we pray to the Divine Mother for something lasting, something more precious - it is the divine spiritual wealth of God.
“Mother Lakshmi also gives joy. She makes life on earth bearable. Without Her, life on earth would be a journey of pain and suffering.
“She appears to the world as a Goddess of peace. When we pray to Her, there is peace in the universe – peace among nations and mankind, and freedom from conflicts and wars. The Divine Mother takes care of the welfare of Her children and blesses the world with good health.
“Every home is the dwelling-place of Mother Lakshmi. At sunset, when the lamps are lit, we pray to Her and ask Her to bless our homes. To earn the blessings of Mother Lakshmi, we must pay attention to three important aspects of our life at home. These are cleanliness, hospitality, and charity. If we practise these virtues, we will obtain the Grace of Mother Lakshmi in abundance and will never suffer from any want.
“The Mother is pleased with a home that is spotlessly clean. She blesses such homes with Her Presence. She is not present in homes that are kept untidy and unkempt. So, we should learn to take very great care of the material things which She represents and has given us.
“Mother Lakshmi is seen in pictures as being richly dressed. She wears ornaments of gold. The elephant seen at Her side represents pomp and grandeur. She stands on a lotus and holds two lotus flowers in full bloom, representing fullness in all aspects, both material and spiritual.
“The higher nature of the Mother is really spiritual wealth – a pure heart, sweetness of manners, behaviour and speech, service to the Guru, etc. Pray to the Mother to grant you the divine spiritual wealth instead of material things. You will then enjoy everlasting peace and happiness”.
In the DVD, Message of Sivananda, Sri Swami Sivananda extolled the nature of Brahman. He describes Brahman as the ultimate reality, the source and substratum of all existence, beyond time, space, and causation. It is the unchanging, eternal, self-existent, and self-luminous Absolute. Brahman is also described as pure consciousness, the essence of all beings, and the ultimate truth that underlies the apparent diversity of the universe. In the second part of the message, the Master advised that we should take care of little things, to cope with the more complex challenges of life.
May Sri Swami Sivananda’s advice that Mother's Lakshmi’s true abode is within one’s heart, and that She is best worshipped through the cultivation of divine qualities, service to humanity and spiritual enlightenment, be the cornerstones of our lives.
