Sri Mahalaxmi Fast – Mahalaxmi Fast 2024 – Mahalaxmi Vrat 2024

Sri Mahalaxmi fast begins on Ashtami of Shukla Paksha in Bhadrapad month. This year, this fast will be celebrated on 11 September 2024. This fast is celebrated on the day of Radha Ashtami. Goddess Laxmi is worshipped on this day.

Sri Mahalaxmi Fast Worship

First of all, a person should wake up early and begin the fast. The following mantra should be chanted while beginning the fast.

Karishyaha Mahalaxmi Vratame Tvatparayana |
Tadvighnen Men Yatu Samapti Swatprasadat ||

A thread should be worn in the wrist. It should consist of sixteen knots. A lot of things are needed for worship including sandalwood, plate, leaves, garland of flowers, rice, durva, red thread, supari, coconut etc. A red thread should be cut in sixteen different threads. Once the fast is over, a manda is built with cloth. Goddess Laxmi’s idol is placed in this mandap. This idol is cleaned with panchamrit. After this, the idol is worshipped in sixteen different ways. Food is offered to Brahmanas with donations.

Food should be offered to sixteen brahmanas. This fast ends once you have done all this. A person keeping this fast acquires a lot of wealth. Udyapan for this fast is done on the sixteenth day. If a person can’t keep this fast for sixteen days, he can do it for three days. These three days should be the first, eighth and sixteenth day of the period. If this fast is kept for sixteen consecutive years, a person receives auspicious results. You should not consume food during this fast. Only fruits, milk and sweets should be consumed.

Mahalaxmi Fast Story

In ancient times, a poor brahmana lived in a village. This brahmana was totally devoted to Lord Vishnu and used to worship him regularly. Lord Vishnu was impressed and appeared in front of him. He asked the brahmana to express his desire. Brahma asked Lord Vishnu for wealth. He wanted Goddess laxmi to reside in his home. Lord Vishnu guided the brahmana towards Goddess Laxmi. He said that a lady would come to the temple and the brahmana should invite her to his place. Lord Vishnu also said that the same lady was Goddess Laxmi.

Lord Vishnu said that if Goddess Laxmi was in the brahmana’s home, he would acquire a lot of wealth. The brahmana waited in front of the temple at 4 in the morning. When he saw the lady, he invited her to his place. Goddess Laxmi realized that Lord Vishnu had said all this to the brahmaa. She asked the brahmana to keep Sri Mahalaxmi Fast for sixteen days. She said that all his desires would be fulfilled if he pours water to the Moon on the sixteenth night of the fast.

The brahmana fasted for sixteen days and called out Goddess Laxmi by facing the northern direction. Goddess Laxmi kept her words and the brahmana became rich. Since that day, this fast is kept in order to please Goddess Laxmi and receive her blessings.