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श्री
Śrī Sūktam – Verse 14
Ārdrāṁ Yaḥ Kariṇīṁ – tender, active and sun-bright
By Amit N. Lakhtariya
Devanāgarī
आर्द्रां यः करिणीं यष्टिं सुवर्णां हेममालिनीम्।
सूर्यां हिरण्मयीं लक्ष्मीं जातवेदो म आवह॥
Ārdrāṁ yaḥ kariṇīṁ yaṣṭiṁ suvarṇāṁ hema-mālinīm,
Sūryāṁ hiraṇmayīṁ lakṣmīṁ jāta-vedo ma āvaha.
Word-by-word meaning
Tender, compassionate, soft
She who keeps life moist and nourished, like rain on dry ground.
She who gives the strength to accomplish every kind of work
She is the source of activity and movement in life. This is one of the harder phrases of the hymn, and commentators differ; another traditional reading takes kariṇī as “attended by elephants”.
The power joined with resolve, worship and austerity
The strength that comes as the lasting fruit of sustained practice and gives stability in life. The word also means a staff, a support.
Golden, shining with a pure, bright glow
Adorned with a garland of gold
A symbol of splendour, grace and dignity.
Radiant like the sun, life-giving
The sun’s brilliance never fails; it gives energy and strength continuously. In Verse 13 she was moon-like (Chandrā); here she is sun-like. Together they bring coolness and fire, gentleness and power.
Golden in brilliance, filled with divine radiance
Mother Lakshmi
The Goddess of prosperity, beauty, grace and splendour.
O Agni, knower of all births, please bring this divine Lakshmi into my life
Full meaning
O Agni, please invite into my life that Goddess Lakshmi who is tender and compassionate, the power that brings every undertaking to fulfilment, who shines like gold, wears a garland of gold, is radiant like the sun, and is filled with divine brilliance.
Deeper spiritual insights
Tenderness and compassion (Ārdrām)
Wealth is not only hard power; it should carry gentleness, kindness and love as well. Only then does it last.
Action and resolve (Yaḥ kariṇīm, Yaṣṭiṁ)
Lakshmi dwells where there is action and resolve: where there is no laziness, but steady effort and practice.
Beauty and radiance (Suvarṇām, Hema-mālinīm, Sūryām, Hiraṇmayīṁ)
Prosperity is not only material wealth. It is the beauty of life, a touch of the divine and an inner light that shines by itself and lights up others too.
The invitation (Jātavedo ma āvaha)
Through Agni, the power of the self, we call Goddess Lakshmi. Calling her is not just reciting a mantra; it is an inner preparation.
Practical meditation
- Close your eyes and imagine the first light of dawn, soft and warm, spreading slowly across a still sky.
- See Mother Lakshmi in that light: gentle eyes full of compassion, a garland of gold on her shoulders, her whole form shining like the rising sun.
- Feel her radiance reach your heart and wake up your own resolve, steady and unhurried, ready to act.
- Whisper inwardly: “O Mother, let tenderness and strength, compassion and effort, shine together in me, and may your light stay in my life.”
Reflection for today
Is the radiance of Lakshmi in my life only outside, or inside as well? Am I making my action and resolve pure and strong enough for Lakshmi to stay in my life? Do I have the compassion and beauty within that can make wealth sacred?
This verse teaches that prosperity is tender and active at once. It shines like the sun, but it stays only where there is compassion in the heart and steady, sincere effort in the hands.
Terms used here are explained in the glossary. This commentary was prepared with AI assistance; read more.