A Blunder with Lakshmi Ashtotram

Yesterday it was about Devi and so today its Mahalakshmi...

In Tamil there is a proverb - "Ezhudinavan Ettai Keduthan".... One who wrote, spoiled the text...

This is 200% applicable to Lakshmi Ashtotram.... in which almost everyone is making a very big mistake because of a person who made a mistake first...

Before getting into the subject, we must understand that, all these Ashtotram, Sahasranamam etc are told in ancient texts as Stotrams only.... On a later date... These Stotrams were split up into individual Namas for the purpose of Archana....


For example, vishwam vishNur vashatkAro, bhUtha bhavya bhavatprabhuH is Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram... when it is split up, it becomes, "Vishwasmai Nama:, Vishnave Nama: , Vashatkaraaya Nama: etc etc...

Similarly Lakshmi Astotra Shata Nama Stotram goes this way....
prakṛtiṃ vikṛtiṃ vidyāṃ sarvabhūtahitapradām|

And when split up, the namavali goes this way

Sloka 1

prakṛtiṃ vikṛtiṃ vidyāṃ sarvabhūtahitapradām|

śraddhāṃ vibhūtiṃ surabhiṃ namāmi paramātmikām||1||

Om Prakrtyai    namah
Om Vikrtyai   namah
Om Vidyayai    namah
Om Sarva-butha-hita-pradayai  namah
Om Shraddhayai   namah
Om Vibhutyai   namah
Om Surabyai   namah
Om Paramatmikayai  namah

Sloka 2

vācaṃ padmālayāṃ padmāṃ śuciṃ svāhāṃ svadhāṃ sudhām|

dhanyāṃ hiraṇmayīṃ lakṣmīṃ nityapuṣṭāṃ vibhāvarīm||2||

Om Vace              namah
Om Padmalayayai  namah
Om Padmayai   namah
Om Suchayae   namah
Om Swahayai   namah
Om Swadhayai   namah
Om Sudhayai   namah
Om Dhanyayai    namah
Om Hiranmaiyai   namah
Om Lakshmyai   namah
Om Nitya-pustaayai  namah
Om Vibhavaryai   namah

Sloka 3

aditiṃ ca ditiṃ dīptāṃ vasudhāṃ vasudhāriṇīm|

namāmi kamalāṃ kāntāṃ kāmākṣīṃ krōdhasambhavām||3||

Om Adityai    namah
Om Dityai    namah
Om Diptayai   namah
Om Vasudayai   namah
Om Vasudharinyai  namah
Om Kamalayai   namah
Om Kantayai   namah
Om Kamakshyai   namah
Om Kroda-sambavayai namah

Now looking into the meaning of the the last line ie
namāmi kamalāṃ kāntāṃ kāmākṣīṃ krōdhasambhavām

Om Kamalayai   namah  - Salutations to Goddess Kamala
Om Kantayai   namah  - Salutations to One who is the Consort of Vishnu
Om Kamakshyai   namah - Salutations to one with attractive eyes
Om Kroda-sambavayai namah - Salutations to one who manifested on Anger

Does this make any sense? Iam sure Mahalaksmi will be angry to hear each time when the archana is done with this nama...

The blunder had occurred while splitting the Namas...

Somebody has made a mistake while splitting and all other publishers.... (they dont bother about the correctness of the information) just copy and paste the same thing... And invariably in all Lakshmi Ashtotram books you see the same mistake...

Sri Lakshmi ashtothram will give Lakshmi kataksham- It gives you wealth and all round prosperity. But we see many people still suffering inspite of doing archana regularly.... How can one expect result when the ashtotram itself is wrong? Will we be happy if we are called "Oh Angry Faced fellow" ? So this must be reason for not getting 100% result...

Now let me present my approach....
Namami kamalam kantham kamam shirotha sambhavam
Om Kamalayai   namah  - Salutations to Goddess Kamala
Om Kantayai   namah  - Salutations to One who is the Consort of Vishnu
Om Kamaayai namah - Salutations to one who is attractive 
Om Ksheeroda sambavayai namah - Salutations to one who is born out of Ocean of Milk

This version tallies with the Puranic story of Mahalakshmi Manifesting from the ocean of milk during Amita Matanam (Churning of the Milky Ocean). This makes sense...

So I request all our readers to please make this change in your books and do the archana to Goddess Mahalakshmi and earn the grace of Ksheera Saagara Sutaam

So its
Om Kamaayai namah 
Om Ksheeroda sambavayai namah 

Lakshmi personifies all that is happy. In fact Lakshmi kataksham is what is yearned for....

So here is wishing you all the prosperity Goddess Lakshmi can shower.

Maataa Meenakshi and Peter Pandiyan

Since our navaratri theme this year is Mother Meenakshi, let me write about HER MAJESTY, the Empress of Madurapuri....  A real life incident to show her care towards her children. Meenakshi appeared as a three-year-old girl three times in History. First during the ‘Puthirakamestshi yagna’- (her actual incarnation), next during the aranketram of ‘Meenakshi Ammai Pillai Tamil’ by Kumaraguruparar(during the regign of Tirumalai Naicker) and Latestly before Rous Peter - during the British rule.

The East India Company was actually ruling Tamilnadu during 1812 and Rous peter was the Collector of Madurai.  Rous Peter was kind hearted person and respected and treated people of all faiths equally. 

Unlike other English officers, Peter cared a lot for the welfare of the people. He also restored peace, prosperity and justice in Meenakshi's Pattanam (Madurai).. The people had a great regard for Peter and felt that he is equal to the Great Pandiyan Kings. Because of this attitude, the people called him with the popular name ‘Peter Pandian’.

As a district Collector, he was not only in charge of the temple town, but also for the Temple administration. Peter had the habit of going around the temple everyday before beginning his daily work. 

One night the city experienced huge thunder storm with lightning. Peter was inside his bungalow in deep slumber.. Suddenly a three-year-old girl appeared at his residence and dragged Rous Peter by his hand outside the house. As soon as they left the compound, a lightening struck the building and the bungalow collapsed to pieces and destroyed the room, where the collector was sleeping. 

Everything happenned within few seconds... Peter was takenaback and was in total shock. Soon he came back to himself, and found the mysterious little girl walking away.

He immediately followed her... though he ran after her, he could not keep up with the girl. The tiny tot always seemed to be the same distance away in front of Peter, however fast he walked. 

She playfully entered the Meenakshi Temple and went straight to the Sanctum Sanctorum of Meenakshi... and right in front of his eyes... there she disappeared.

Peter was sure that the empress Herself has come in the form of that mysterious girl... For Shri Matha everyone - including Peter is her Child. The Ruler Meenakshi had come to save a good man from calamity.

Peter was ever-grateful to Mother Meenakshi and donated many jewellery and other gifts to the Minakshi Temple. Among which, a notable one is a set of golden stirrups studded with diamonds and red stones to the temple for use on the idol of Sree Meenakshi when taken in procession in the streets of Madurai.

He also wished that after his death he should be buried in a position that enabled his eyes to face the temple. It is interesting to note that Rous Peter’s grave is positioned the way he wished while the pther graves faces the other way.

The stirrups offered by Peter Pandiyan adorns the Horse Vaahanam on the day of procession. Even now this is used when Goddess Meenakshi riding the horse is taken out during festival days.  He also donated a Jade necklace which is still preserved, in the temple museum.

maata marakata shyama maatangi madhushalini 

kuryaat kaTaaksham kalyani kadamba vanavaasini