Varalakshmi Vratham /Varalakshmi Nombu–Pooja Procedure, Things needed for Pooja /Nombu Procedure with step by step photos/Varalakshmi Pooja Recipes/How to do VaraLakshmi Pooja.

Varalakshmi Vratham is the most auspicious and an important festival celebrated by married woman to commemorate Goddess MahaLakshmi. VaraLakshmi is another form of Goddess MahaLakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and consort of Lord MahaVishnu. Varalakshmi is believed to be one who grants boons and fulfills all desires of her devotees. [Varam].

Every year Varalakshmi Vratham is observed in the Sravana month[Aadi Month] on a Friday preceding the full moon day. Varalakshmi Pooja is performed by married women for the well being of their husband and the other family members.Women of the house wake up early in the morning, fast the whole day. do the pooja with great devotion and complete the fasting. Worshipping Goddess Lakshmi on this day is equivalent to worshipping Ashta Lakshmi [8 Lakshmi]  in 8 forms–
Adi Lakshmi 
Dhana Lakshmi
Dhanya Laskhmi
Gaja Lakshmi
Santana Lakshmi
Veera Lakshmi
Vijaya Lakshmi 
Vidya Lakshmi.

Lakshmi represents the Kriya Sakthi [Powder of action] . She represents the eight forms of energy namely,
Wealth[sri]
Earth[Bhu]
Learning[Saraswathi]
Love[Preethi]
Fame[Krithi]
Peace[Shanthi]
Pleasure[Tushti]
Stength[Pushti]

Year: 2015

I have been doing Varalakshmi Pooja since my small age along with my mother and continued fasting after my marriage as well. Since I was living outside the country I could not keep kalasam and do the pooja, but I started keeping Kalasam  after coming back to Chennai. I have been thinking of sharing with you all the procedure of the Varalakshmi pooja which will be very useful for beginners as well.

                       Year: 2015

Author: Priya Anandakumar

On Thursday (previous day)

Clean the whole house. Wash all the pooja vessels, plates, kalasa pot, lamps etc. Keep manjal and kum kum dots and keep them ready.

Things to buy for Friday pooja

1. Saree/Paavadai for Kalasam
2. One blouse piece for Varalakshmi
3. Flowers [Lotus, Arugam pul for Ganesha, Thulasi, Jasmine, Thazampoo, Alari, Rose, Viruchi Poo, marikozhundhu, sammandhi]
4. Fruits [3 or 5 or at least 1 type of fruit]
5. Vettrilai/Betal Leaves and Pakku/Betal Nuts
6. Small Vazhai Kannu -2
7. Vazhai Elai
8. Thoranam for decoration       
9. Maaelai [Mango leaves] for kalasam and for the door step
10. Coconut -2 [one for kalasam, one for pooja]
11. Nombu Saradu [ according to your family tradition- we buy the red rope and keep it at amman feet]
12. Kaadholai Karumani set
13. Kumkum, Manjal Powder, Sandhanam, Whole Manjal
14. Karpooram/Camphor
15. Raw Rice
16. Incense sticks
17. Ghee for lamps

Things to be kept ready for pooja

1. Kalasam [silver/brass]
2. Amman face
3. Kuthu Vilaku
4. Small lamps, bell, aarthi plate etc
5. Manai –Woodenplank or Steel
6. Thambalam to keep the kalasam
7. Jewels for decorating Varalakshmi
8. One mirror to keep behind VaraLakshmi to look at the beauty of her Jadai.

Things to buy to give for the ladies who come to our house on Pooja day - Thambulam set

1. Blouse piece [3 or 5 or 7] depending on number of women you are inviting
2. Glass bangles
3. Betal leaves & Nuts
4. Manjal & Kumkum
5. Banana
6. Small gift like kumkum box or anything of your choice. [optional]
7. Flower
8. Manjal Kayaru [Maangalyam rope]
9. One rupee coin [one for each person]

In the evening, clean the vassal padi/nila padi/door step; apply manjal/turmeric and kum kum according to your family tradition. Keep Maa elai/mango leaves, this s done to welcome Goddess Lakshmi and shows the beginning Varalakshmi Nombu celebrations.

Now put maakolam outside and inside the house on the wooden plank and keep everything ready for the next day pooja.

On Friday/VaraLakshmi Nombu Day

You can either keep the kalasam on Thursday evening itself and next day, decorate with flowers and start the pooja or you can keep the kalasam on Friday itself.

Procedure to keep the kalasam

Place the varalakshmi pic[photo] on a table, keep sandanam, kumkum decorate with flowers behind the place where the kalasam is to be placed.

Keep the vazhai kannu and tie the thoranam in the place where the kalasam is to be placed.

Our tradition is to keep aman vilaku at home, so we tie a paavadai for the vilaku and keep it ready for lighting the lamp.

Keep the wooden plank/manai, thambalam on top of it, vazhai elai on the plate and spread raw rice on it.

Getting Kalasam ready – pour water, put one rupee coin 3 or 5, two elachi, one pinch of turmeric, one pinch of kum kum, paneer/rose water in to kalasam ,while telling the lakshmi slokam simultaneously. Now keep the kalasam on the raw rice.

Keep the maa elai in the kalasam, apply turmeric paste on the coconut and place it in the kalasam.

Tie the saree or paavadai, wrap the blouse piece. You can use the previous years paavadai or you can buy new saree/paavadai also. Then keep the amman face.

Next decorate Lakshmi with flowers and jewels. Place jadai, nombu saradu on Lakshmi. Keep Kaadolai karumani, bangles, manjal[whole], kumkum on the plate in which the kalasam is kept. Place one small sandhanam and kumkum pottu on Lakshmi's forehead.

Keep the kuthu vilakus on the sides and light all the lamps.

Keep all the fruits, bangles, blouse pieces, manjal, kumkum, manjal rope etc as shown in photo in front of Lakshmi.

Aalam karaithu vaikavum -  in a small plate add little water, kumkum, manjal, sunambu mix it and keep it in front of Lakshmi.

                Lakshmi Alankaram behind with Jadai

Neivedhyams Needed for the Pooja

Boiled Milk with little Kalkandu

Kesari

Poornam Kozhukattai

Sundal [Any type of Sundal]

Steam Cooked Rice

Dal

Paruppu Paayasam/PasiParuppuPayasam

Ullundhu Vadai/Urad Dal Vadai

Appam

  

How to do the Pooja?

 First step is to make Manjal/turmeric Ganesha, tell all the slokams and keep betel     leaves, nuts and banana as neivedhyam.   

       

Next do kum kum archana and flower archana telling Lakshmi ashtothram, Lakshmi shasaranamam and other slokams.

Keep all the neivedhyams in front of Goddess Lakshmi, break open the coconut and do the Maha aarthi and complete the pooja.

                              

Then, the husband will tie the nombu saradu on the right hand of the wife and put bangles for her. She will fall in his feet and take the blessings.

The elder woman of the family can keep nalangu for small girls, put bangles and tie the nombu saradu for the unmarried girls.

On the same day evening, put more fresh flowers for Lakshmi, light the lamps and tell all the slokams and do the aarthi.

That evening invite 3 or 5 or 7 ladies to your home and give them the thambulam.

In the night after everybody has left, place one betel leaf in the aalam plate, one camphor show the aarthi and pour it outside the house, to get rid of all the dhristi on Goddess Lakshmi.

pooja done in the evening and thambulam kept ready for the ladies

The Kalasam should be kept for three days, if you keep on Thursday night then you should remove the kalasam on Saturday night. If you keep the kalasam on Friday morning then you have remove the kalasam on Sunday morning.

Morning and evening keep milk for neivedhyam and tell all the slokams and do an aarthi.

Some people remove the kalasam on the same day, but in our family we keep it for three days, decorate her and celebrate Goddess Lakshmi’s presence with great enthusiasm.

What to do with the Kalasam Water?

Sprinkle the kalasam water all over the house without leaving any place, then pour the rest in the plants in your house. Keep the coins in your locker.

If you are keeping rice in your kalasam, then mix it in the rice drum in your house and use it for cooking. It is believed Annapoorni will always reside in our house.

What if you miss the Varalakshmi Pooja?

If you missed the Varalakshmi Nombu day or failed to observe it due to certain reasons, then you can observe it the following Friday or you can observe it during a Friday in Navrathri.

Thank you all for visiting my space, please come back again for more pooja rituals and all vrathams that I keep at my home.

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                        Year: 2014

Until then I am signing off…