Dhana Lakshmi

Dhana Lakshmi is the form of Lakshmi who presides over wealth in the sense of gold and coin. Dhana means wealth. Among the eight she is the one most people think of first when they picture Lakshmi, and tradition treats her as the keeper of material means that support a household and its duties. A story linked with her tells of Indra losing his riches after a curse from the sage Durvasa and regaining them when Lakshmi appeared from the ocean churning.

Her image has six arms. One hand pours coins from a golden pot, others hold a conch, a discus, a bow and an arrow, and one shows the gesture of fearlessness. She is dressed in red. The primary mantra Om Shreem Hreem Shreem Dhana-Lakshmyai Namah salutes her by name, and the longer bija mantra calls on Maha Lakshmi. Lists of the eight differ on the weapons and number of arms shown, so a temple image may vary.

Dhanteras, two days before Diwali, is when many households clean their homes and buy a metal item in her honour. The Vaibhava Lakshmi vrata kept on twenty-one Fridays is a popular householder observance. A related shrine is the Mahalakshmi temple in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, which is a major Shakti centre where Lakshmi is worshipped in her own right.