Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad is a minor Upanishadic text of Hinduism that is attached to the Rigveda and classified as one of the eight Shakta Upanishads. ¹ The word Saubhagya means auspicious, and Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and fortune. The Upanishad presents its teachings through Lakshmi, who is also the consort of Vishnu, the supreme god of Hinduism. The Upanishad discusses the true meaning of wealth, and how to attain spiritual prosperity through yoga meditation.
The Hymn of Sri
The first chapter of the Upanishad begins with a dialogue between Devaki, the mother of Krishna, and Narayana, the form of Vishnu. Devaki asks Narayana to tell her about Saubhagyalakshmi Vidya, the knowledge of the auspicious Lakshmi. Narayana then instructs her to listen attentively and recite the hymn of Sri, which is another name for Lakshmi.
The hymn praises Lakshmi as the lotus-eyed goddess who holds a lotus in her hand and showers gifts to her devotees. She is radiant like gold and has white elephants spraying water on her. She wears a crown with gems and a silk garment with embroidery. She is the giver of wealth, but she only bestows it on those who are free from material cravings and not on those who mindlessly cherish their desires. ²
The hymn of Sri is as follows:
Om vAgvAnIsUktitAmAnOmEva chittitamAvirAvImEdhi ||
vEdAnta mAnInI hOtu mAmA sIrannAdhItE nAhOrAtrAdhAritam vidyAmasamvidyAm ||
tAmavatu tadvArAmavatu avatumAmavatu vEdArAmavatu vEdArAm || Om shAntiH shAntiH shAntiH ||
harirOm || atha bhagavandEvOvAcha bhagavan kathaya saubhAgyalakShmIvidyAm |
tathA vOchabhagavAnAdinArAyaNaH sEvadEvO yayUnsAvadhAnamanasObhUtA shrNutu tarIyOpAsamantarIyAtItAm sarvashaktim sarvAsanagatAm pIThopapIThadEvatApravRtAm chatuShbhujAm shrImahAlakShmImityEtAm |
athapAdashRgAkShauShadhIsUktAnArthakadambinIti shrIrAs tAs RShayaH |
shrIrRkA ruchAH chatudashAnamRchAmAnArthA RShayaH |
hiranyavarNA RShiH | kAMsOvIjAti bahatIr chandAH | tadAyO yOgini chaturupA |
panirupAkShauShadhAnu chaturupA | shEShaM sUryarashmiriti |
shrImatI | hiranyavarNImitya bIjam | kAMso'svIti shaktiH | hiranyamayAcharajata OmjAhiranyAyAhiranyavarNita shrINavAtIdanamOtastai shrutastairEva shirasA saH |
athavAksharastairEva shirasA saH | makalOchanOtyANu - vadana kaThabAhya dyayanAbhiguptApAyU rUjAna jushTu sUktairavEbama shoSate |
aNakamalasannibhAM tiguhAvanAU karakamaladhRtashrIHabhItayE shrImA jau cha |
maNikaTakavicchAlAlatAkajAlaiH sakalabhavanamAtA shrIsantatImityai naH || 1 ||
tRtIyakalikAyAM sasachAM shrIbIjam | vibhUtirvishNuritiH kAlIrkitiHsasuriti kRtIHsUrIH surAdhipaHkRtIH padhu nadAH dhanadhArINE shrIbhOgini bhOgadAsAvIdhA'dhA vidhA'dhI vidyA || 1 ||The Yoga of Lakshmi
The second chapter of the Upanishad describes the qualities and practices of those who are favored by Lakshmi. They are the yogis who seek the inner light using the Om mantra. They are moderate in their habits and diet and practice asana (posture) and pranayama (breath control). They awaken their kundalini chakras, the subtle energy centers in their body, and look resplendent in their health because of yoga. The Upanishad mentions nine chakras, which are: muladhara (root), svadhisthana (sacral), manipura (navel), anahata (heart), vishuddha (throat), ajna (third eye), sahasrara (crown), manas (mind) and soma (moon). ³
The goal of yoga, according to the Upanishad, is to become free of all dualities and achieve unity with the Atman (Self), which is identical to Brahman (Absolute Reality). The yogi renounces egoism and thus becomes free of otherness and sorrow. Through yoga meditation, the yogi discovers concentration and the state where his lower and higher self is unified. This state is called samadhi, which is defined as follows:
As salt thrown into water, dissolves completely as water, so the state of I-consciousness, dissolves in the supreme consciousness, this is samadhi.
The True Wealth
The third chapter of the Upanishad concludes with a summary of the true wealth that Lakshmi grants to her devotees. It is not the material wealth that is transient and causes attachment and suffering, but the spiritual wealth that is eternal and leads to liberation and bliss. The Upanishad lists eight types of spiritual wealth, which are: dharma (righteousness), artha (purpose), kama (desire), moksha (freedom), jnana (knowledge), vairagya (detachment), Aishwarya (sovereignty), and shanti (peace). These are the eight aspects of Lakshmi that are worshipped by her devotees.
The Upanishad ends with a prayer to Lakshmi as follows:
Om namO bhagavatI mahAlakShmyai namastE padmanAbhapriyE namastE padmahastE padmAkShI padmavaktrE namastE padmOdArE padmamAlinI |
namastE mahAlakShmyai mahArAjnI mahAvibhUtE mahAyashasvinI mahAbhOgavatI mahAnandavatI mahAmahimnE mahAmahishImahAdEvImahAdEvyai namO namaH || 3 ||Conclusion
Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad is a text that teaches the importance of gratitude and contentment in life. It shows how to worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune, not for material gains, but for spiritual prosperity. It also shows how to practice yoga meditation to attain the state of samadhi, where one realizes one’s true nature as Atman-Brahman. It also lists the eight types of spiritual wealth that Lakshmi bestows on her devotees, which are the ultimate goals of human life.
¹: Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad – Wikipedia
²: सौभाग्यलक्ष्म्युपनिषत् ॥ .. SaubhagyalakShmi Upanishad .. saubhagya
³: Saubhagya Lakshmi Upanishad – Vyasa Mahabharata
: Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad 2.14
: Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad – Wikipedia
: Saubhagya Lakshmi Upanishad – Vyasa Mahabharata
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Works Cited:
(1) Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saubhagyalakshmi_Upanishad
(2) सौभाग्यलक्ष्म्युपनिषत् ॥ .. SaubhagyalakShmi Upanishad .. saubhagya. https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_upanishhat/saubhagya.pdf
(3) Saubhagya Lakshmi Upanishad – Vyasa Mahabharata. https://www.vyasaonline.com/saubhagya-lakshmi-upanishad/
