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Home › Mantras › Sri Suktam
Sri Suktha Sri Suktam: golden Goddess Sri Lakshmi on a lotus in a pond with a golden doe, elephants and a fire
Sri, golden on her lotus, with the doe, the elephants and the sacred fire of the hymn
Mantra · A Rigveda khila hymn asking Agni to bring Lakshmi and banish Alakshmi

Sri Suktam

हिरण्यवर्णां हरिणीं सुवर्णरजतस्रजाम् । चन्द्रां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह ॥

Also known as Shri Suktam

In Devanagari, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English — with the meaning of every word, and the one syllable most people pronounce wrongly.

What the Sri Suktam is

The Sri Suktam is a Vedic hymn, not a later stotra. It belongs to the khilani, the supplementary hymns of the Rigveda preserved in the Bashkala recension, and is usually set after the fifth mandala. Scholars place most of its verses in the period of the Brahmanas. It is often described as the earliest text to treat Shri and Lakshmi as one goddess. The fifteen rks printed here, in the South Indian chanted order, form a frame: verses 1, 2 and 13 to 15 call on Jatavedas, Agni the knower of all beings, to bring Lakshmi, while verses 3 to 12 speak of and to Shri herself. Inside that frame the hymn turns twice against Alakshmi, misfortune, and in verses 11 and 12 it addresses two seers, Kardama and Chiklita, asking them to settle their mother in the household. A closing verse, printed as the phala shruti, names the hymn as fifteen verses.

Shri, the sacrificial fire and her seer-sons

No account survives of a single moment when the Sri Suktam was composed, but the Vedic literature around it explains why its verses speak to the fire. The Shatapatha Brahmana (11.4.3) tells that Shri came forth from Prajapati as he grew heated in the labour of creation, shining and trembling. The gods wanted what she had, and ten of them each took one thing: Agni her food, Soma royal power, Indra strength, Pushan wealth, Tvashtri beautiful forms, and so on. On Prajapati's advice she won each back through an offering of ten dishes, with an oblation to every god in turn. The Sri Suktam keeps the same shape of approach: it asks Agni, as Jatavedas, to carry the goddess towards the one who offers, and its phala verse speaks of ghee poured into the fire. Tradition names the seers of the hymn as Ananda, Kardama and Chiklita, held to be mind-born sons of Shri; some lists add a fourth, Shrida. Kardama means fertile mud and Chiklita moist earth, which is why verses 11 and 12 can ask these sons to make their mother live in the house. At Tirumala the hymn is recited, as one of five suktas, during the Friday Thirumanjanam of Lord Venkateswara.

The mantra, in six scripts

DevanagariSanskrit & Hindiहिरण्यवर्णां हरिणीं सुवर्णरजतस्रजाम् । चन्द्रां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह ॥
Tamilஹிரண்யவர்ணாம் ஹரிணீம் ஸுவர்ணரஜதஸ்ரஜாம் । சந்த்ராம் ஹிரண்மயீம் லக்ஷ்மீம் ஜாதவேதோ ம ஆவஹ ॥
Teluguహిరణ్యవర్ణాం హరిణీం సువర్ణరజతస్రజామ్ । చన్ద్రాం హిరణ్మయీం లక్ష్మీం జాతవేదో మ ఆవహ ॥
Kannadaಹಿರಣ್ಯವರ್ಣಾಂ ಹರಿಣೀಂ ಸುವರ್ಣರಜತಸ್ರಜಾಮ್ । ಚನ್ದ್ರಾಂ ಹಿರಣ್ಮಯೀಂ ಲಕ್ಷ್ಮೀಂ ಜಾತವೇದೋ ಮ ಆವಹ ॥
Malayalamഹിരണ്യവര്ണാം ഹരിണീം സുവര്ണരജതസ്രജാമ് । ചന്ദ്രാം ഹിരണ്മയീം ലക്ഷ്മീം ജാതവേദോ മ ആവഹ ॥
EnglishRoman transliterationhiraṇyavarṇāṃ hariṇīṃ suvarṇarajatasrajām | candrāṃ hiraṇmayīṃ lakṣmīṃ jātavedo ma āvaha ||
“O Jatavedas (Agni, knower of all), bring to me Lakshmi, golden in colour, radiant like a doe, wearing garlands of gold and silver, shining like the moon and made of gold.”
हिरण्यवर्णां
hiraṇyavarṇāṃ — golden in colour
हरिणीं
hariṇīṃ — doe-like, radiant
सुवर्णरजतस्रजाम्
suvarṇarajatasrajām — wearing garlands of gold and silver
चन्द्रां
candrāṃ — shining like the moon
हिरण्मयीं
hiraṇmayīṃ — made of gold
लक्ष्मीं
lakṣmīṃ — Lakshmi
जातवेदो
jātavedo — O Jatavedas (Agni)
म
ma — to me
आवह
āvaha — bring

Sri Suktam lyrics in full

All 16 verses, in Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and English, each with its meaning. Choose a script:

Download the Sri Suktam PDFAll 16 verses with their meanings, in Sanskrit. Free to print and keep.

Verse 1

हिरण्यवर्णां हरिणीं सुवर्णरजतस्रजाम् ।
चन्द्रां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह ॥

O Jatavedas (Agni, knower of all), bring to me Lakshmi, golden in colour, radiant like a doe, wearing garlands of gold and silver, shining like the moon and made of gold.

Verse 2

तां म आवह जातवेदो लक्ष्मीमनपगामिनीम् ।
यस्यां हिरण्यं विन्देयं गामश्वं पुरुषानहम् ॥

O Jatavedas, bring to me that Lakshmi who never departs, through whom I may obtain gold, cattle, horses and people.

Verse 3

अश्वपूर्वां रथमध्यां हस्तिनादप्रबोधिनीम् ।
श्रियं देवीमुपह्वये श्रीर्मा देवीर्जुषताम् ॥

I invoke the goddess Shri, who has horses going before her and a chariot in her midst, and who is announced by the trumpeting of elephants. May the goddess Shri be gracious to me.

Verse 4

कां सोस्मितां हिरण्यप्राकारामार्द्रां ज्वलन्तीं तृप्तां तर्पयन्तीम् ।
पद्मे स्थितां पद्मवर्णां तामिहोपह्वये श्रियम् ॥

I invoke here that Shri who smiles gently, who is enclosed in a wall of gold, tender yet blazing, content and giving contentment, seated on the lotus and coloured like the lotus.

Verse 5

चन्द्रां प्रभासां यशसा ज्वलन्तीं श्रियं लोके देवजुष्टामुदाराम् ।
तां पद्मिनीमीं शरणमहं प्रपद्येऽलक्ष्मीर्मे नश्यतां त्वां वृणे ॥

I take refuge in Shri, lovely as the moon, shining, blazing with glory in the world, cherished by the gods and generous, the lotus-bearer. May my misfortune (Alakshmi) perish; I choose you.

Verse 6

आदित्यवर्णे तपसोऽधिजातो वनस्पतिस्तव वृक्षोऽथ बिल्वः ।
तस्य फलानि तपसा नुदन्तु मायान्तरायाश्च बाह्या अलक्ष्मीः ॥

O sun-coloured one, from your austerity was born the lord of the forest, your tree, the bilva. May its fruits, through that austerity, drive away misfortune, both the inner obstacles of illusion and the outer ones.

Verse 7

उपैतु मां देवसखः कीर्तिश्च मणिना सह ।
प्रादुर्भूतोऽस्मि राष्ट्रेऽस्मिन् कीर्तिमृद्धिं ददातु मे ॥

May the friend of the gods come to me, with fame and with the jewel. I have been born in this land; may he grant me fame and prosperity.

Verse 8

क्षुत्पिपासामलां ज्येष्ठामलक्ष्मीं नाशयाम्यहम् ।
अभूतिमसमृद्धिं च सर्वां निर्णुद मे गृहात् ॥

I destroy Alakshmi, the elder sister, who is the stain of hunger and thirst. Drive out from my house all want and lack of prosperity.

Verse 9

गन्धद्वारां दुराधर्षां नित्यपुष्टां करीषिणीम् ।
ईश्वरीं सर्वभूतानां तामिहोपह्वये श्रियम् ॥

I invoke here that Shri, known by her fragrance, unassailable, ever-nourishing, abundant in harvest, the sovereign of all beings.

Verse 10

मनसः काममाकूतिं वाचः सत्यमशीमहि ।
पशूनां रूपमन्नस्य मयि श्रीः श्रयतां यशः ॥

May we attain the wishes and intentions of the mind and truth of speech. May Shri, with the beauty of cattle, food and glory, dwell in me.

Verse 11

कर्दमेन प्रजाभूता मयि सम्भव कर्दम ।
श्रियं वासय मे कुले मातरं पद्ममालिनीम् ॥

Through Kardama, Shri has become a mother of offspring. O Kardama, dwell in me, and make Shri, the mother wearing a garland of lotuses, dwell in my family.

Verse 12

आपः सृजन्तु स्निग्धानि चिक्लीत वस मे गृहे ।
नि च देवीं मातरं श्रियं वासय मे कुले ॥

May the waters bring forth gentle, nourishing things. O Ciklita, dwell in my house, and make the divine mother Shri dwell in my family.

Verse 13

आर्द्रां पुष्करिणीं पुष्टिं पिङ्गलां पद्ममालिनीम् ।
चन्द्रां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह ॥

O Jatavedas, bring to me Lakshmi, moist and tender, dwelling among lotus ponds, nourishment itself, tawny-golden, wearing a lotus garland, moon-like and golden.

Verse 14

आर्द्रां यः करिणीं यष्टिं सुवर्णां हेममालिनीम् ।
सूर्यां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह ॥

O Jatavedas, bring to me Lakshmi, moist and tender, who holds the staff, beautifully coloured, wearing a golden garland, radiant as the sun and golden.

Verse 15

तां म आवह जातवेदो लक्ष्मीमनपगामिनीम् ।
यस्यां हिरण्यं प्रभूतं गावो दास्योऽश्वान् विन्देयं पुरुषानहम् ॥

O Jatavedas, bring to me that Lakshmi who never departs, through whom I may obtain abundant gold, cattle, servants, horses and people.

Phala Shruti 1

यः शुचिः प्रयतो भूत्वा जुहुयादाज्यमन्वहम् ।
श्रियः पञ्चदशर्चं च श्रीकामः सततं जपेत् ॥

The verse says that one who desires Shri should, pure and self-controlled, offer ghee into the fire every day and constantly recite these fifteen verses of Shri.

The syllable people get wrong

Verse 1 has two similar golden words, hiraṇyavarṇām and hiraṇmayīm, and people often carry the y of the first into the second, saying 'hiranya-mayim'. In hiraṇmayīm there is no ya: the retroflex ṇ goes straight into m, hi-RAN-ma-yeem, with the final ī long.

When the Sri Suktam is chanted

Weekday. Friday

Festival. Varalakshmi Vratam

Questions

No individual author is named. As a khila hymn of the Rigveda it is treated as revealed Vedic text, preserved in the Bashkala recension. Tradition gives its seers as Ananda, Kardama and Chiklita, who are described as mind-born sons of Shri, and some accounts add a fourth seer, Shrida. Scholars date most of the verses to the Brahmana period, with later additions in the longer appendix that some editions print after the phala shruti.
They are the seers whom tradition calls the sons of Shri. Verse 11 asks Kardama, through whom Shri became a mother, to dwell in the singer and make Shri, wearing her lotus garland, live in the family. Verse 12 asks Chiklita to stay in the house and bring the divine mother with him. Kardama means fertile mud and Chiklita moist earth, keeping the hymn's farming imagery; some commentators read Chiklita as Kama, desire.
Alakshmi is the opposite of Lakshmi: misfortune, need and lack. Verse 8 calls her jyeshtha, the elder sister, and describes her as the stain of hunger and thirst, asking that all want be driven from the house. She also appears in verse 5, where the singer asks that Alakshmi perish, and in verse 6, where the fruits of the bilva, Shri's own tree, are asked to push away inner and outer misfortune.
Some editions number it 16, but the verse itself calls the hymn panchadasharcha, of fifteen rks, so this page prints it as the phala shruti. The verse says that one who longs for Shri, being pure and restrained, should offer ghee into the fire each day and keep reciting these fifteen verses. Many editions print a longer appendix after it, beginning anandah kardamashcaiva, but its contents and order differ between editions.
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