Why We Worship Laxmi Ji and Ganesh Ji on Diwali

Diwali - a festival of lights and a lesson of good over evil is celebrated across India enthusiastically. We clean our homes, draw rangoli, prepare Diwali sweets, lighten up the home with decorative Diwali Diyas and then perform Aarti to seek blessings. Diwali falls on Amavasya of Ashwin month; still, it is considered as one of the auspicious days. This year, we will be experiencing the Diwali festival on the 1st of November, and like every year, we will be celebrating the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of long exile. We would be getting ready in traditional outfits, exchanging Diwali gifts and bringing Laxmi Ji and Ganesha Ji Murti at home. But wait, don’t you feel we should be seeking blessings from Lord Rama? Well, as every year passes by, we question our family and friends about why we worship Maa Laxmi and Ganesha on this day and not Lord Rama.

Why is Maa Laxmi Worshipped On Diwali?

Many people do not know the story behind worshipping Maa Laxmi and Ganesha Ji on Diwali and today we will be enlightening you with it. In the book Kartika-Mahatmya, there is a story of a poor Brahman who sought advice from a priest. The priest asked the Brahman to worship Maa Laxmi so that she can bestow wealth to him. As Vishnu Ji is sleeping right now, Laxmi Ji will shower mercy on the Brahman and will give him the wealth he needs. Vishnu Ji sleeps from the 11th lunar day of Asadh to the 11th lunar day of Kartikey, so Diwali is the most auspicious eve that comes in between. As we currently reside in Kaliyug, which is known as Rajo Guna, people want prosperity, wealth, and luxury in life. It was also said that instead of directly reaching out to Laxmi Ji, worship Vishnu Ji to please her. But as Vishnu Ji is asleep and Shastra recommends pleasing Maa LaLaxmi directly, people worship them during Diwali.

It is also said that if you worship Vishnu Ji to please Maa Laxmi, the wealth you receive will make you spread Krishna consciousness and Bhakti is rare to find in today’s time. Therefore, you directly try to please Maa Laxmi and write your own Karma. That Karma leads you to hell or heaven depending upon your deeds. Now, this theory clears only one query about why we worship Maa Laxmi on Diwali but now why we worship Maa Laxmi and Ganesha Ji together on Diwali.

Why Is Ganesh Ji Worshipped Alongside Maa Laxmi On Diwali?

Well, one fine day, Maa Laxmi was talking to Vishnu Ji, elaborating on how she can make anyone wealthy and prosper with her powers. She was being proud of her accomplishments but, it sounded more like an egoistic person talking to Vishnu Ji. So, he decided to reduce her ego and therefore, he said that women without experiencing motherhood are incomplete, and that disheartened her. She went to Maa Parvati and asked her to give Ganesha Ji to her, grace her with motherhood and complete her. She was fond of Ganesha, and therefore, she wanted to adopt him. Maa Parvati was not okay with this as Maa Laxmi does not have a fixed place, and she might not be able to take care of Ganesha but, as Maa Laxmi promised Maa Parvati that if someone will not worship Ganesha, she will not shower her mercy on them. Every time Ganesha would be prayed alongside her and she would take good care of Ganesha no matter what. This assured Maa Parvati, and she let Ganesha go with Maa Laxmi. Hence, every time we talk about Maa Laxmi, we take the name of Ganesha Ji as well. This is one reason why we place Laxmi Ji and Ganesha Ji murti on Diwali.

Another reason states that wealth without wisdom is just like chocolate without teeth. You would never know what to do with the wealth you receive, and to make the right decision, you need knowledge and that knowledge comes by worshipping Ganesha Ji. Before making any investment or proceeding with new work, we worship Lord Ganesha, because of the wisdom and intelligence he has. He is the God of success and prosperity and with wealth and luxury, we need his intelligence and wisdom. Hence, to remove obstacles, to create a balance, Lord Ganesha and Maa Laxmi are worshipped together.

Final Thoughts

We clean every nook and corner of our home, sprinkle Gangajal, prepare lip-smacking Diwali sweets, decorate home with earthen lamps and Diwali Diyas, make flamboyant rangoli, use flowers for decorative purposes, exchange gifts with friends and family, burst crackers, perform Aarti just to please Maa Laxmi and Ganesha Ji. This is Kalyug, and we are bound with wealth and luxury. To attain that wealth and luxury we bring Laxmi Ji and Ganesha Ji Murti on Diwali. We hope this blog clears your doubt and you have a prosperous Diwali this year. FlowerAura wishes you a very Happy Diwali!