Om Jai Lakshmi Mata

This aarti is a brief but complete portrait of Goddess Lakshmi in her many forms, qualities, and graces. Its structure is simple — seven stanzas, with the refrain “Om Jai Lakshmi Mata” sung between each.

The refrain declares Lakshmi’s supremacy: even Hara (Shiva), Vishnu, and Vidhata (Brahma) — the highest gods of the trinity — serve her day and night.

Stanza 1 identifies her with the three great goddesses: Uma (Parvati), Rama (Lakshmi herself), and Brahmani (Saraswati). She is thus the unified power behind all three. Even Sun and Moon meditate on her; the sage Narada sings her glory.

Stanza 2 identifies her with Durga, nirañjani (spotless, beyond stain), the giver of joy and prosperity. The promise: riddhi (prosperity), siddhi (accomplishment), and dhana (wealth) come to whoever meditates on her.

Stanza 3 moves cosmically — she dwells even in patala (the netherworld, where Vishnu rests on Shesha-naga), illuminates the workings of karma, and rescues souls from the ocean of existence.

Stanza 4 is the household promise: where Lakshmi dwells, every virtue arrives, every undertaking becomes possible, and the mind ceases to fear.

Stanza 5 anchors her in ritual cosmology: without her, no yajna can complete, no clothing can be obtained, no abundance of food and drink can flow.

Stanza 6 invokes her origin from the Kshira Sagara (milk-ocean) — the Samudra Manthan. The “fourteen jewels” produced by the churning could not have come without her.

Stanza 7 is the phalashruti (fruits of recitation): whoever sings this aarti has joy fill their heart, and their sins fall away.

The aarti is traditionally attributed to Pandit Shivanand, who composed it at the turn of the 19th–20th century. It belongs to the same aarti tradition as Pandit Shraddharam Phillauri’s “Om Jai Jagdish Hare” (1870s) — and indeed both aartis are sung to the same melody.

This shared melody became the standard aarti tune of North India in the 20th century. Many other deities’ aartis — for Durga, Saraswati, Ganesha, Hanuman — were composed afterwards on the same tune. The melody is so universal that hearing the first two notes is enough for any North Indian Hindu to know an aarti is beginning.

Among Lakshmi’s aartis, this is the most widely sung. It is performed at:

• Diwali night puja as the closing arati
• Dhanteras after the Kuber-Lakshmi worship
• Friday evening puja in homes and temples
• Daily evening sandhya arati in households that maintain the practice
• Griha-pravesh (housewarming) and business openings

Across North Indian Hindu households, this aarti is among the first that children learn — alongside “Om Jai Jagdish Hare”.

When

• Diwali night — at the conclusion of the main puja
• Dhanteras — after the Kuber-Lakshmi worship
• Friday evenings — the weekly Lakshmi puja
• Daily evening arati as a brief family devotion
• Griha-pravesh and business openings

Steps

1. Aarti is sung at the conclusion of the puja — i.e., after Lakshmi Chalisa or stotra recitation.
2. Prepare the thali with a ghee lamp (5 or 7 wicks), incense, flowers, sandalwood, and camphor.
3. Light the lamp and begin the aarti.
4. While singing, rotate the lamp clockwise before the murti or image — seven complete circles is the traditional count.
5. Keep tala with a bell, claps, or a conch.
6. After the aarti, offer flowers (pushpanjali) and circumambulate three times (parikrama).
7. Distribute prasad to all present.

Group singing

The whole family should sing in unison. One person holds the lamp; the others keep tala with bells or claps. Children should be encouraged to sing the refrain “Om Jai Lakshmi Mata” — that alone keeps them engaged for the full aarti.

• Indispensable to Diwali — across India, this is the aarti that closes the Diwali puja.
• Lakshmi’s all-form synthesis — Uma, Rama, Brahmani, Durga, Mahalakshmi all named in one aarti.
• Connection to Samudra Manthan — verse 6 ties the aarti directly to the Puranic origin story of the goddess.
• Singable melody — the universal “Jagdish Hare” tune means everyone already knows how to sing it.
• Auspicious for household life — particularly recommended for marital, family, and business prosperity.

Is this aarti’s tune the same as “Om Jai Jagdish Hare”?

Yes. Both share Pandit Shraddharam Phillauri’s original melody, which has become the standard aarti tune of North India. Once you know the Jagdish Hare melody, you can sing this and many other aartis without re-learning.

How many times should the lamp be circled?

Seven times in the traditional sequence — four near the feet, two near the navel, one near the face. Five passes is acceptable as a shortened daily routine.

How to teach this to children?

Have them repeat just the refrain — “Om Jai Lakshmi Mata, Maiya Jai Lakshmi Mata” — until it sings itself in their mouths. Add stanzas one at a time. Children naturally learn by hearing it during family puja.

Is this aarti only for Diwali?

No. Diwali is its most prominent occasion, but it is sung at daily evening puja, Friday puja, Dhanteras, Sharad Purnima, griha-pravesh, and any auspicious household occasion.

Should other aartis follow this one?

The traditional sequence: first the deity-specific aarti (here, Om Jai Lakshmi Mata); then the universal Om Jai Jagdish Hare as a closing salutation to all gods. Singing both completes the puja.

Can women sing this during menstruation?

Mental singing and arati from a distance are always permitted. Avoid touching the murti or holding the lamp. This is the traditional view; most contemporary acharyas hold mental remembrance to be always meritorious.

What should follow the aarti?

Three parikramas (circumambulations) of the deity, sashtanga pranama (full prostration), and finally prasad distribution — kheer, khil-batashe, sweets, and fruits are most traditional for Lakshmi puja.