Om Jai Lakshmi Mata is the aarti sung to Lakshmi while a lamp is circled before her image. Its verses address her as mother of the world, name her alongside Uma and Brahmani, and describe her as the one who sustains and who eases difficulty. It is sung on Fridays and above all on Diwali night, when the lamp, the household accounts and the aarti are traditionally brought together.
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Refrain
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता, मैया जय लक्ष्मी माता। तुमको निशिदिन सेवत, हरि विष्णु विधाता॥
Om Jai Lakshmi Mata, Maiya Jai Lakshmi Mata। Tumko Nishidin Sevat, Hari Vishnu Vidhata॥
Victory to Mother Lakshmi, the refrain sung as the lamp is raised. Vishnu himself is described as attending on her — the aarti opens by placing her at the centre rather than at the side.
Verse 1
उमा रमा ब्रह्माणी, तुम ही जग माता। सूर्य चन्द्र मा ध्यावत, नारद ऋषि गाता॥
Uma Rama Brahmaani, Tum Hi Jag Mata। Surya Chandra Ma Dhyavat, Narad Rishi Gata॥
Refrain
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता, मैया जय लक्ष्मी माता। तुमको निशिदिन सेवत, हरि विष्णु विधाता॥
Om Jai Lakshmi Mata, Maiya Jai Lakshmi Mata। Tumko Nishidin Sevat, Hari Vishnu Vidhata॥
Verse 2
दुर्गा रुप निरंजनी, शंकरी सुखधाम। सब विधि सेवत तुमको, सब दुखों के नाशन॥
Durga Rup Niranjani, Shankari Sukhdham। Sab Vidhi Sevat Tumko, Sab Dukhon Ke Nashan॥
Refrain
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता, मैया जय लक्ष्मी माता। तुमको निशिदिन सेवत, हरि विष्णु विधाता॥
Om Jai Lakshmi Mata, Maiya Jai Lakshmi Mata। Tumko Nishidin Sevat, Hari Vishnu Vidhata॥
Verse 3
माता जगत की पालन, दीनन को सुख दाता। भक्ति भाव से जो सेवे, उसकी पूरे आशा॥
Mata Jagat Ki Palan, Dinan Ko Sukh Data। Bhakti Bhav Se Jo Seve, Uski Pure Aasha॥
Refrain
ॐ जय लक्ष्मी माता, मैया जय लक्ष्मी माता। तुमको निशिदिन सेवत, हरि विष्णु विधाता॥
Om Jai Lakshmi Mata, Maiya Jai Lakshmi Mata। Tumko Nishidin Sevat, Hari Vishnu Vidhata॥
When this is traditionally recited
- Days
- Friday is the day most associated with Lakshmi across India, and the aarti is commonly sung in households every Friday evening.
- Diwali
- The principal occasion. Lakshmi Puja on the new-moon night of Diwali is when this aarti is sung in the greatest number of homes, after the lamps are lit and the house has been cleaned.
- Time of day
- Evening, after dusk, is traditional — Lakshmi is welcomed into a lit house. Morning singing is also common in households that keep a daily aarti.
- Other occasions
- Opening a shop or a ledger for the new year, Dhanteras, Varalakshmi Vratam in the south, and housewarmings.
How it is traditionally recited
- The lamp
- Sung while a lit lamp is circled before the image, usually clockwise. In many households more than one person holds the lamp in turn during the singing.
- Sequence
- Refrain, verse, refrain, and so on, with the refrain closing the aarti. It is frequently sung immediately after Ganesha's aarti, since Ganesha and Lakshmi are worshipped together on Diwali.
- Count
- Once. An aarti is completed by the lamp's circuit rather than by repetition.
- Regional variation
- Verse order and some wording differ between printed household versions, and several regions sing an extra verse. Tempo varies from a slow North Indian household reading to a quicker temple version with cymbals.
- On correctness
- Traditional practice describes preferences, not penalties: a recitation offered with attention is considered complete, and there is no traditional teaching that a missed day or a mispronounced word brings harm.
Significance and imagery
The aarti's language is about sustaining rather than acquiring. The words used are for holding, nourishing and maintaining the world — closer to housekeeping than to fortune. Read that way it explains why the practice is tied to cleaning the house and settling accounts: what is being honoured is upkeep, not a windfall.
Uma, Rama, Brahmani, Durga, Shankari — five names for different goddesses appear in a short song addressed to one. Devotional singing in India regularly does this, treating the divine feminine as one presence with many approaches. It is worth naming, because reading the verses as theology rather than as address makes them look inconsistent when they are not.
The one line that turns towards the singer mentions those who have little before it mentions anything else. Prosperity in this aarti is measured by whether the household extends outward, and Diwali practice reflects that: the lamp is placed at the doorstep, facing the street, not inward.
Key names and epithets
- Lakshmi
- From a root meaning mark or sign — that by which something is recognised. In practice, the quality that makes a household feel provided for.
- Jag-mata
- Mother of the world. The aarti's central address, placing her relation to everything rather than to wealth alone.
- Niranjani
- Unstained, without blemish — commonly interpreted as a presence untouched by what it moves through.
- Shankari
- Associated with Shankara. Its presence here is part of the aarti's habit of naming several goddesses in one address.
- Sukhdham
- A dwelling of ease. Not a giver of ease but the place where it lives — a small but telling difference in the verse.
Frequently asked questions
Is this aarti only for Diwali?
No. Diwali is its largest occasion, but it is sung every Friday in many households and daily in some, and it is part of ordinary evening worship rather than a once-a-year text. Households that keep a shrine usually sing several aartis in sequence, with Lakshmi's among them. Its association with Diwali comes from the fact that Lakshmi Puja is the central rite of that night, not from any restriction on when it may be sung.
Should Ganesha be worshipped before Lakshmi?
In most household practice, yes — Ganesha is invoked at the start of any ritual sequence, so his aarti is usually sung first and the two are worshipped together on Diwali. This is a matter of sequence rather than of rank, and it applies to worship of most deities. Regional practice varies in the details: some traditions add Saraswati to the Diwali sequence, others include the family's own deity before or after.
Does singing this aarti bring money?
Traditional practice does not present it that way, and neither do we. The aarti is praise offered with a lamp, and the verses ask for devotion and for the wellbeing of the household rather than for a sum. What the Diwali observance actually involves is cleaning, repairing, settling accounts, lighting the house and giving to those with less — a set of habits that people have long associated with a household in good order. Anyone selling a recitation as a route to wealth is selling something tradition never promised.
Which direction should the lamp face during Lakshmi Puja?
Household practice commonly places the shrine so that the person worshipping faces east or north, and lamps are additionally placed at the doorway and along the entrance on Diwali night. Regional customs differ in the details, including how many lamps are lit and where the first one is placed. These are conventions that give the observance shape; no tradition treats a different arrangement as spoiling the worship.
Meaning in your language
An aarti glorifying the goddess of fortune, beauty and abundance.
Benefits / when to read
Sung during Diwali and Lakshmi puja for prosperity and gratitude.
Suggested day / time
Fridays and Diwali.
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Disclaimer: This content is shared for devotional and informational purposes with respect for tradition. Meanings and benefits are original short summaries in simple language and are not a guarantee of any outcome. We publish only traditional / public-domain or properly licensed text. If you notice any error in a text, please let us know so we can correct it. Verification status: Aarti · verified.