Sri Sukta, also called
Sri Suktam, is a
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
devotional hymn (set of
slokasThe Sanskrit term ' specifically denotes a metered and often rhymed poetic verse or phrase. Shloka has become equated with Hindu prayer and is often comparable to a proverb and hymn of praise to be sung or chanted in liturgy. Shloka are generally composed in a specified meter, typically part of...
) revering
SriSri is a Sanskrit word, with a primary meaning of radiance, or diffusing light It is often used as a title of veneration....
or
LakshmiLakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm...
, the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and fertility. The hymns are found in the
Rig Vedic khilanisThe Khilani are a collection of 98 "apocryphal" hymns of the Rigveda, recorded in the , but not in the shakha. They are late additions to the text of the Rigveda, but still belong to the "Mantra" period of Vedic Sanskrit.-Literature:...
, which are appendixes to the
RigvedaThe Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas...
that probably date to pre-Buddhist times.
Sri sukta is recited, with a strict adherence to the
vedic meterVerses in Sanskrit have a variety of different meters. They are divided by number of padas in a verse, and by the number of syllables in a pada. Chandas , the study of meter, especially Vedic meter, is one of the six Vedanga disciplines, or "organs of the vedas".Common Vedic meters are:: 4 padas of...
, to invoke the goddess' blessings.
The Sri sukta forms part of the
khilaniThe Khilani are a collection of 98 "apocryphal" hymns of the Rigveda, recorded in the , but not in the shakha. They are late additions to the text of the Rigveda, but still belong to the "Mantra" period of Vedic Sanskrit.-Literature:...
s or appendixes to the
RigvedaThe Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas...
.
Sri Sukta, also called
Sri Suktam, is a
SanskritSanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, one of the liturgical languages of Hinduism and Buddhism, and one of the 22 official languages of India. It is also declared as a classical language by the government of India....
devotional hymn (set of
slokasThe Sanskrit term ' specifically denotes a metered and often rhymed poetic verse or phrase. Shloka has become equated with Hindu prayer and is often comparable to a proverb and hymn of praise to be sung or chanted in liturgy. Shloka are generally composed in a specified meter, typically part of...
) revering
SriSri is a Sanskrit word, with a primary meaning of radiance, or diffusing light It is often used as a title of veneration....
or
LakshmiLakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm...
, the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and fertility. The hymns are found in the
Rig Vedic khilanisThe Khilani are a collection of 98 "apocryphal" hymns of the Rigveda, recorded in the , but not in the shakha. They are late additions to the text of the Rigveda, but still belong to the "Mantra" period of Vedic Sanskrit.-Literature:...
, which are appendixes to the
RigvedaThe Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas...
that probably date to pre-Buddhist times.
Sri sukta is recited, with a strict adherence to the
vedic meterVerses in Sanskrit have a variety of different meters. They are divided by number of padas in a verse, and by the number of syllables in a pada. Chandas , the study of meter, especially Vedic meter, is one of the six Vedanga disciplines, or "organs of the vedas".Common Vedic meters are:: 4 padas of...
, to invoke the goddess' blessings.
Source and versions
The Sri sukta forms part of the
khilaniThe Khilani are a collection of 98 "apocryphal" hymns of the Rigveda, recorded in the , but not in the shakha. They are late additions to the text of the Rigveda, but still belong to the "Mantra" period of Vedic Sanskrit.-Literature:...
s or appendixes to the
RigvedaThe Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. It is counted among the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism known as the Vedas...
. These were late additions to the Rigveda, found only in the
Bāṣkala shakhaA shakha , is a Hindu theological school that specializes in learning certain Vedic texts, or else the traditional texts followed by such a school. An individual follower of a particular school or recension is called a ...
, and the hymn themselves exist in several strata that deffer both in content and period of composition. For instance, according to J. Scheftelowitz, strata 1 consists of verses 1-19 (with verses 3-12 addressed to the goddess
Sri and 1-2 and 13-17 to
LakshmiLakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm...
), while the second strata has verses 16-29 (i.e., the second version deletes verses 16-19 of the first). The third strata, with verses beginning from number 23, similarly overlaps with the second version.
The first strata is the most commonly attested and is usually appended to the
fifth manadalaThe fifth Mandala of the Rigveda has 87 hymns. Most hymns in this book are attributed to the family. The mandala is one of the "family books" , the oldest core of the Rigveda....
of Rigveda. Most of its verses were probably composed during the period of the Brahmanas, with a few added in the
UpanishadThe Upanishads are Hindu scriptures that constitute the core teachings of Vedanta. They do not belong to any particular period of Sanskrit literature: the oldest, such as the Brhadaranyaka and Chandogya Upanishads, date to the late Brahmana period , while the latest were composed in...
ic times. The second strata post-dates the first; while the third is attested in a single, more recent, text.
Text and symbolism
The goddess
Sri appears in several earlier vedic hymns, and is the personification of auspicious and royal qualities. Sri sukta is perhaps the first text in which the homology between
Sri and
Lakshmi is drawn, and the goddesses are further associated with the goddess of fire,
AgniAgni is a Hindu and Vedic deity. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" , cognate with Latin ignis , Russian огонь , Polish "ogień," Lithuanian - ugnis - all with the meaning 'fire' -, with the reconstructed Proto-Indo-European root being h₁égni-. Agni has three forms: fire, lightning and the sun...
. Since the later epic period (ca 400 CE), Sri-Lakshmi is particularly associated with
VishnuVishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God...
as his wife or consort.
The
Sri sukta describes
Sri as glorious, ornamented, royal, lustrous as gold, and radiant as fire, moon and the sun. She is addressed as the bestower of fame, bounty and abundance in the form of gold, cattle, horses and food; and entreated to banish her sister
alakshmi (misfortune), who is associated with need, hunger, thirst and poverty. The hymn also associates
Sri with (agrarian) fertility and she is described as the mother of
Kardama (mud), moist, perceptible through odour, dwelling in cowdung and producing abundant harvest.
The
Sri Sukta uses the motifs of
lotusLotus identifies various plant taxa:* Nelumbo, a genus of aquatic plants with showy flowers, and the source of lotus seeds used in Chinese medicine and desserts.** Nelumbo nucifera, an archetypal species in the genus...
(
padma or
kamala) and
elephantElephants are large land mammals in two genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta. Three species of elephant are living today: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant...
(
gaja) - symbols that are consistently linked with the goddess
Sri-Lakshmi in later references. The lotus is thought to be symbolic of purity, beauty, spiritual power, life, fertility, growth or, in
TantraTantra , or tantram is a religious philosophy according to which Shakti is usually the main deity worshipped, and the universe is regarded as the divine play of Shakti and Shiva...
, the entire created universe. It is a recurring motif in Hindu (as well as Buddhist and Jain) literature and a lotus growing from
VishnuVishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God...
's navel is said to mark the beginning of a new cosmic creation. The elephants are symbolic of royalty and, in Hindu mythology, are also related with cloud and rain; they thus reinforce
Sri-Lakshmis stature as the goddess of abundance and fertility.
Later Hindu iconographyOver the millennia of its development Hinduism has adopted several iconic symbols, forming part of Hindu iconography, that are imbued with spiritual meaning based on either the scriptures or cultural traditions. The exact significance accorded to any of the icons varies with region, period and...
often represents Sri-Lakshmi
in the form of Gaja-Lakshmi, standing on a lotus, flanked by two elephants that are shown showering her with water with their trunks.
Significance
The Sri Suktam assumes specific significance because of Sri Mahalakshmi's presence on Lord Sri Venkateswara (at Tirumala) or
VishnuVishnu , , is the Supreme God in Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God...
's chest, at the Heart. Lakshmi is the embodiment of Love, from which devotion to God or
BhaktiBhakti in practice signifies an active involvement by the devotee in divine worship. The term is often translated as "devotion", though increasingly "participation" is being used as a more accurate rendering, since it conveys a fully engaged relationship with God...
flows from. It is through Love/Bhakti or
LakshmiLakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity, light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm...
that the
atmaAtma may refer to:* A concept in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain traditions. It means the higher self * The American Tamil Medical Association * ATMA - electronic music composer, original from Transylvania, one of the pioneers...
or soul is able to reach God or Vishnu.
Sri or Lakshmi is also the personification of the Spiritual energy within us and universe called
KundaliniKundalini Sanskrit, literally "coiled". In Indian yoga, a "corporeal energy" - an unconscious, instinctive or libidinal force or Shakti, envisioned either as a goddess or else as a sleeping serpent coiled at the base of the spine, hence a number of English renderings of the term such as 'serpent...
. Also, She embodies the Spiritual World or
VaikuntaVaikuntha , Param Padam , or Paramapadham is the abode of Lord Narayana. It is believed, in the tradition of Vaishnavites, to be the place of eternal bliss, exclusive to the Lord, His eternal consort which is the Goddess Lakshmi, and the three-folded Serpent Sesha Naga, upon whom the Lord and His...
; the abode of Lakshmi-
NarayanaNarayana or Narayan is an important Sanskrit name for Vishnu, and in many contemporary vernaculars a common Indian name. Narayana is also identified as the original man, Purusha. The Puranas present divergent views on Narayana...
or Vishnu, or what would be considered
HeavenHeaven may refer to the physical heavens, the sky or the seemingly endless expanse of the universe beyond. This is the traditional literal meaning of the term in English...
in
HinduismHinduism is the predominant religion of the Indian subcontinent. Hinduism is often referred to as ', a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its adherents. Generic "types" of Hinduism that attempt to accommodate a variety of complex views span folk and Vedic Hinduism to bhakti tradition, as...
. She is also the Divine qualities of God and the soul. Lakshmi is God's superior spiritual feminine energy or the Param Prakriti, which purifies, empowers and uplifts the individual. Hence, She is called the Goddess of Fortune.
Recital in Tirumala
The Sri Sukta is one of the Pancha Suktam (5 Suktams) recited during the 3-hour long
AbhishekAbhisheka is a Sanskrit term comparable to puja, yagya and arati that denotes: a devotional activity; an enacted prayer , rite of passage and/or religious rite or ritual...
of Lord Sri Venkateswara, at the famed ancient Hill Shrine of the
Tirumala Venkateswara TempleTirumala Venkateswara Temple , is a famous Hindu Temple of Lord Venkateswara located in the hill town Tirumala of Andhra Pradesh...
in
Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh , abbreviated A.P., is a state situated on the south-eastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Hyderabad...
,
IndiaIndia, officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal...
. The Abhishekam to the main deity is performed every Friday.
Sri Suktam is also recited during the daily Arjitha Vasanthotsavam seva
.
External links
Sri Suktam, an English translation of the abridged version (
WikisourceWikisource is an online library of free content textual sources, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Its aims are to harbour all forms of free text, in many languages...
)
Sanskrit text and English translation
Youtube.com - Audio rendition of the Sri sukta