Although Diwali is celebrated as the return of Shri Ram to Ayodhya, Goddess Laksmi, and Lord Ganesha are welcomed into every household on this auspicious day. Goddess Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity while Lord Ganesha is considered the God of intelligence.
People worship these two deities to welcome wealth along with intelligence. Worshipping the forms of Goddess Mahalakshmi is the most crucial part of Diwali. It is said that on the night of Diwali, Goddess Lakshmi visits each house and blesses everyone with great wealth
Why Lakshmi and Ganesha are worshipped together? There is an interesting story behind worshiping Goddess Lakshmi and Ganesha on Diwali.
According to the scriptures, once Goddess Lakshmi grew very arrogant about Her powers and wealth. Goddess kept praising herself while having a conversation with Her husband, Lord Vishnu. She is the one who bestows everyone with money and wealth. Lord Vishnu decided to get rid of her arrogance.
Lord Vishnu calmly reminded her that in spite of having all the qualities, a woman remains incomplete if she does not bear a child. Motherhood is the ultimate joy that a woman can experience and since Lakshmi did not have children, She could not be deemed complete. On hearing this from her husband, Lord Vishnu, She was extremely disappointed.
Goddess Lakshmi went to Goddess Parvati to seek help and advice. Since Goddess Parvati had two sons, Six-Faced Kartikeya and Lord Ganesha, She requested the Goddess to let Her adopt one of Her sons to experience the joy of motherhood.
Goddess Parvati was reluctant to let Lakshmi adopt Her son because it was known that Lakshmi does not stay in one place for long. So, she would not be able to take care of Her son. Lakshmi assured Her that She would take care of Her son in every possible way and bestow Him with all the happiness.
Understanding Lakshmi’s pain, Goddess Parvati let Her adopt Ganesha as Her son. Goddess Lakshmi became extremely elated and said that She will bestow Ganesha with all Her accomplishments and prosperity. Those worshipping Lakshmi for wealth would first have to worship Ganesha to seek Her blessings. Those who will worship Lakshmi without Ganesha will not be blessed by the Goddess. Hence, Goddess Lakshmi is always worshipped along with Ganesha on Diwali.
Gaining wealth without intellect will only result in misusing the wealth. So, one must first acquire the intelligence to spend wealth in the right manner. Therefore, Lakshmi and Ganesha are worshipped together. Chant this Ganesh Lakshmi Dhyan mantra to worship Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi together.
दन्ताभये चक्रवरौ दधानं, कराग्रगं स्वर्णघटं त्रिनेत्रम्।
धृताब्जयालिङ्गितमाब्धि पुत्र्या-लक्ष्मी गणेशं कनकाभमीडे॥
Dantabhaye Chakravarau Dadhanam, Karagragam Swarnghatam Trinetram।
Dhritabjayalingitamabdhi Putrya-Lakshmi Ganesham Kanakabhamide॥
The benefits are:
- Invoke the presence and blessings of Lord Ganesha, the remover of obstacles.
- Cultivate wisdom, power, and strength through the depiction of Lord Ganesha’s attributes.
- Seek auspiciousness and blessings of wealth, represented by the reference to a golden vessel (स्वर्णघटं) associated with Goddess Lakshmi.
- Establish a connection with Goddess Lakshmi, the deity of wealth and prosperity, through the reference to her as the one embracing Lord Ganesha (पुत्र्या-लक्ष्मी).
- Invoke divine protection, grace, and auspiciousness through the praise of Lord Ganesha’s form, such as his tusks, discus, and the symbol of his mother’s embrace.