Kojagari Lakshmi Puja on Sharad Purnima

On the full moon night following Dusshera or Durga Puja, Sharad Purnima is celebrated on the full moon day of Ashwin month (September-October). It is also called Kojagari Purnima or Raas Purnima and is the Harvest Festival, after the end of the rainy season. According to astrology, on this full moon day in the whole year, the moon is full of its sixteen phases, due to which the healing property of the moon also increases. Kojagar Vrat, which is also called Kaumudi Vrat, is observed on this day.

Lakshmi Puja is celebrated on the full moon night of Kojagari Purnima, the harvest festival that marks the end of the monsoon season. Bengali homes ceremonially worship Maa Lakshmi (the goddess of abundance and prosperity) at home, pray for her blessings and invite neighbors to participate in the puja. It is believed that on this full moon night the goddess herself visits homes and showers the inhabitants with wealth. Special worship is also offered to Lakshmi on the auspicious occasion.

During this night special and elaborate Kojagari Lokkhi Puja is performed, Bhajans and Kirtans are sung while vegetarian dishes like Khichuri, Naru, Narkel Bhaja, Chirey and Taaler Phopol are cooked and offered to the Goddess along with fresh fruits. It is also called `Navanna' (new food) and from this day the new grain of the harvest is usually eaten.

It is believed that on this day Lakshmi goes by every home, and has special blessings on ones who keeps awake. Therefore, there has been a mythological tradition of celebrating Sharad Purnima as a festival with joy and gaiety. A major event on the day is the drawing of alpana or rangoli patterns especially that of Goddess Lakshmi’s feet.

It is said that during the magical night Lakshmi floods the starry sky with a shower of shakti called Amrita Barkha, a nectar with beneficial and healing properties for the body. After preparing kheer (a type of pudding made with milk, rice and sugar), devotees pray to Lakshmi outdoors to ask for health and wealth. The kheer can only be consumed the following morning when the moon rays have enriched it with Amrita, so as to ensure well-being and happiness to those who eat it.

For most families, Lakshmi is the household goddess and a favorite among women. Although she is worshipped on a daily basis, the festive month of October is Lakshmi’s special month.

It is the full moon of celebration, the brightest and without any blemish. It is supposed to stay for the longest time as well. Sharad Poornima is known for dance and celebration. It is the time when devotees feel the presence of the Divine in their life. This moon is also dedicated to beauty. The sky is clear and the biggest moon shines brightly. Our mind and the moon are connected. When the moon is full, the mind is also full. The energy on the day is very high and the celebration keeps it at that level. But that energy needs to be channelized.

On the night of Sharad Purnima, the moon is very close to the earth and the chemical elements present in its light fall directly on the earth. On this night, Goddess Lakshmi sees who is awake and she blesses with wealth and prosperity those who stay awake immersed in the devotion of the mother. Therefore, on this night, Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped and her favourite rice pudding is offered to her. According to the belief, the moon showers nectar rays on Sharad Purnima, so making and eating rice pudding on a moonlit night keeps the health good. Along with this, many types of diseases are also cured by it.

Legend has it that once upon a time a very generous and honest King promised, for the welfare of the artisans of his Kingdom, that all the goods that remained unsold during the weekly market day would be purchased by Him. It so happened that one day the King purchased an iron murti of Alakshmi, the goddess of poverty, that remained unsold during the weekly market. The King placed the murti of Alakshmi in the pooja room in the Palace.

That night the King heard a woman crying from the very pooja room, where the ruler saw a beautiful woman sitting in the middle of the room and crying. The King asked her who she was and the woman replied that she was the goddess Lakshmi and that she was crying because she could not live in the same place as the Goddess of poverty. The King, although displeased, did not want to throw away the murti of the Goddess of poverty, as it would have been an insult to the craftsman who had created it.
The same scene repeated itself the next night and the next again and again until the Goddess of fortune, success and knowledge left the Palace. The King lost his glory and his kingdom became poorer day by day. Finally the King one day spoke to the God of Dharma, narrating what had happened and reiterating that the decision to buy any unsold items in the weekly market was taken with the pure intention of upholding Dharma. The God of Dharma, happy with the pure intention, promised that he would regain all that he had lost after his consort Queen performed Kojagari Purnima Vrat. The Queen, who was very devout, immediately agreed.

On the Full Moon day of the month Ashwin, he fasted on coconut milk, performed poojas, meditated in front of the murti of Goddess Lakshmi for the whole night. The power of his devotion was such that the iron murti of Goddess Alakshmi melted and the kingdom once again spread prosperity and wealth. When the people came to know what had happened, they all started performing Kojagari Lakshmi Pooja every year to eliminate poverty and live in prosperity and peace.

Symbolism and meaning

Lakshmi is associated with wealth, prosperity and abundance and is often invoked for blessings of good fortune, health and success. She is also seen as a symbol of fertility and is associated with the creative power of the feminine. Her four arms represent the four directions of the universe and her lotus flower symbolizes purity, beauty and grace.

Worship and celebrations

Lakshmi is widely worshipped in Hindu temples and homes and is celebrated during festivals such as Diwali, the festival of lights. During this festival, people light lamps, exchange gifts and offer prayers to Lakshmi for blessings of wealth and prosperity. Various parts of the country celebrate this festival with different names. The festival of Sharad Purnima is celebrated as Kaumudi festival.

Lakshmi in statuary and works of art

Lakshmi is usually depicted as a beautiful, golden-skinned, four-handed woman, sitting or standing on a blooming lotus and holding a lotus bud, which represents beauty, purity and fertility. Her four hands represent the four extremes of human life: dharma or righteousness, Pleasure or desires , Arta or wealth, and Moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

Cascades of gold coins are often seen flowing from her hands, suggesting that those who worship her will gain wealth. She always wears red clothes embroidered with gold. The red symbolizes activity and the gold lining indicates prosperity. Said to be the daughter of the mother goddess Durga and the wife of Vishnu, Lakshmi symbolizes the active energy of Vishnu. Lakshmi and Vishnu often appear together as Lakshmi Narayan —Lakshmi accompanying Vishnu.

Two elephants are often shown standing next to the goddess, sprinkling water. This denotes that unceasing effort, when practiced in accordance with one's dharma and governed by wisdom and purity, leads to both material and spiritual prosperity.

To symbolize her numerous attributes, Lakshmi can appear in any of theeight different shapes,representing everything from knowledge to cereals.

Like a Mother Goddess

The worship of a mother goddess has been part of Indian tradition since its earliest times. Lakshmi is one of the traditional Hindu mother goddesses and is often called 'mata' (mother) rather than simply 'devi' (goddess). As the female counterpart of Lord Vishnu, Mata Lakshmi is also called 'Shr', the feminine energy of the Supreme Being. She is the goddess of prosperity, wealth, purity, generosity and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. She is the subject of avariety of hymnsrecited by Hindus.

As a household deity

The importance given to Lakshmi's presence in every household makes her essentially a household deity. Householders worship Lakshmi as a symbol of providing for the well-being and prosperity of the family. Friday is traditionally the day on which Lakshmi is worshipped. Businessmen also celebrate her as a symbol of prosperity and offer daily prayers to her.