Stōtram
1
indra uvāca
namastē:'stu mahāmāyē śrīpīṭhē surapūjitē
śaṅkhacakragadāhastē mahālakṣmi namō:'stu tē
2
namastē garuḍārūḍhē kōlāsurabhayaṅkari
sarvapāpaharē dēvi mahālakṣmi namō:'stu tē
3
sarvajñē sarvavaradē sarvaduṣṭabhayaṅkari
sarvaduḥkhaharē dēvi mahālakṣmi namō:'stu tē
4
siddhibuddhipradē dēvi bhuktimuktipradāyini
mantramūrtē sadā dēvi mahālakṣmi namō:'stu tē
5
ādyantarahitē dēvi ādyaśakti mahēśvari
yōgajē yōgasambhūtē mahālakṣmi namō:'stu tē
Stōtram
11
trikālaṁ yaḥ paṭhēnnityaṁ mahāśatruvināśanam
mahālakṣmīrbhavēnnityaṁ prasannā varadā śubhā
11
iti śrī mahālakṣmyaṣṭakam
Reading it in Roman letters
This is the Mahalakshmi Ashtakam in Roman letters with diacritic marks, the system used to write Sanskrit sounds exactly. It is a set of eight short verses to Lakshmi, the Goddess of fortune and wellbeing, drawn from the Padma Purana, where Indra first sings them in her praise, each verse closing by bowing at her feet. Because it is short and easy to learn, it is often the first stotra a child is taught, and it is chanted in homes across India on Fridays, at the Varalakshmi Vratam, and through Diwali, the festival of lights when Lakshmi is welcomed for the new year. People chant it for prosperity, for wellbeing, and for the grace of the Mother who removes want. The diacritics do simple work: a line above a vowel holds it longer, and a dot beneath a letter marks the retroflex sounds. Read exactly what is printed and the verses come out as they would from Devanagari.