A reader’s introduction
Shri Sūktam is a hymn of welcome. It invokes Shri or Lakshmi through Jātavedas (Agni), then speaks not only of gold but of cattle, food, honest speech, social standing, fertile water and the wish that well-being remain within a home. Its images move between sunlight, moonlight and the lotus. The present reading is the Śrī Sūktam is a hymn of welcome. It invokes Śrī or Lakṣmī through Jātavedas (Agni), then speaks not only of gold but of cattle, food, honest speech, social standing, fertile water and the wish that well-being remain within a home. Its images move between sunlight, moonlight and the lotus. The present reading is the 15-ṛc core found as Rigveda Khila 2.6.1–15 in a scholarly transcription based on the 1906 Scheftelowitz edition. It is found as Ṛgveda Khila 2.6.1–15 in a scholarly transcription based on the 1906 Scheftelowitz edition. It is not a numbered sūkta from the Rigveda's ordinary ten-maṇḍala core. a numbered sūkta from the Ṛgveda's ordinary ten-maṇḍala core. 1 2 5
What this edition includes and excludes. The core contains exactly fifteen numbered ṛc. The wider Khila section in the scholarly text continues beyond verse 15; modern recitation books often place yaḥ śuciḥ prayato bhūtvā after the core as a sixteenth, practice-focused verse and then add further salutations. That verse is not inserted here, since it does not directly follow verse 15 in the selected scholarly sequence. This boundary is an explicit editorial choice, not a denial that longer recensions exist. 2 4
How to read it. The Roman layer is IAST, not English verse translation. Below, each numbered unit has a fresh English meaning and explanatory note. Since the chosen underlying electronic text is unaccented, this article does not teach Vedic svara or prescribe chanting, homa, timing, mantric effects, or initiation. 2 6
Reading the structure
The fifteen ṛc form a coherent movement without erasing their differences. Verses 1–5 bring Shri into view through radiance, invitation and refuge. bring Śrī into view through radiance, invitation and refuge. Verses 6–10 speak of bilva, reputation, hunger, cultivated plenty, food and truthful speech. Verses 11–15 imagine a household nourished by water and sustained across generations, then close by asking that Lakshmi remain. The lexical recurrence does not prove that every later appendix is part of one original autograph. imagine a household nourished by water and sustained across generations, then close by asking that Lakṣmī remain. The lexical recurrence does not prove that every later appendix is part of one original autograph. 2
Key terms
ShriŚrī can denote auspicious flourishing and becomes the Goddess addressed; LakshmiLakṣmī is the personal divine name in the hymn. Jātavedas addresses Agni; Alakṣmī is the counter-image of want or non-flourishing; bilva is a specifically named tree, not an excuse to import unrelated ritual prescriptions. Kardama and Ciklītā are named figures/words demanding contextual commentary. 2
A note on Vedic accents and permissions
Frequently asked questions
Is Shri Sūktam in the Rigveda?Is Śrī Sūktam in the Ṛgveda? It belongs to the transmitted Rigveda It belongs to the transmitted Ṛgveda Khilāni (supplementary) collection, not a separately numbered regular hymn of the standard main ten-maṇḍala Saṃhitā. 2 5
Why do some versions have 16 or more verses? Because recitation editions add a practice-related verse and further Lakshmi prayers; they must be identified by their own edition and placement. Because recitation editions add a practice-related verse and further Lakṣmī prayers; they must be identified by their own edition and placement. 2 4
Why does your version use unusual words in verse 4? It preserves the selected 1906-derived research reading and flags uncertainty rather than silently importing the popular alternate. 2
Are the accents missing accidentally? No. They are deliberately omitted because the controlled electronic reading does not reliably supply a vetted accent layer for this edition. A ritual reciter should use an appropriate teacher and accented tradition. 2 6
Does reciting it guarantee wealth? No reliable empirical guarantee follows from a devotional prayer. It expresses a traditional aspiration for flourishing, dignity, food and a stable household.
Additional passage commentary
Ṛc 1 — Radiance and invitation
Meaning. O Jātavedas, bring to me Lakshmi, golden in hue, radiant and graceful, adorned with a garland of gold and silver, luminous like the moon. O Jātavedas, bring to me Lakṣmī, golden in hue, radiant and graceful, adorned with a garland of gold and silver, luminous like the moon. Explanation. The first request is addressed to Jātavedas, an epithet of Agni, who mediates the invocation. Gold and moonlight serve as images of radiance and auspicious presence; reducing the hymn to a quick-money formula overlooks its language of welcome and beauty. The witness uses mama āvaha, presented with word-joining in the reader as mamāvaha; other readings give ma āvaha.
Ṛc 2 — Steadfast plenty
Meaning. Bring me, Jātavedas, Lakshmi who does not depart; in her presence may I obtain gold, cattle, horses and the human support named by the verse. Bring me, Jātavedas, Lakṣmī who does not depart; in her presence may I obtain gold, cattle, horses and the human support named by the verse. Explanation. Anapagāminī means one who does not go away: the plea shifts from a sudden gain to enduring flourishing. Cattle and horses evoke the wealth, mobility and household life of the text’s social world. The reference to people belongs to that historical setting, and must not be rewritten as an endorsement of owning persons.
Ṛc 3 — Procession of abundance
Meaning. I call upon the Goddess Shri, heralded by horses, at the centre of a chariot procession, rejoicing in the sound of elephants. May the Goddess favour me. I call upon the Goddess Śrī, heralded by horses, at the centre of a chariot procession, rejoicing in the sound of elephants. May the Goddess favour me. Explanation. Here prosperity moves in a royal procession. Horses, chariot and elephants signify public dignity, motion and abundance within the verse’s world. This is figurative praise, not a required iconographic checklist for worship. The phrase śrīr mā devī juṣatām asks that divine favour be received with grace.
Ṛc 4 — The satisfied nourisher
Meaning. I invoke Shri here, portrayed as gold-clad, tender or moist, blazing with radiance, fulfilled yet fulfilling others, lotus-seated and lotus-coloured. The obscure opening is retained as a source-critical reading. I invoke Śrī here, portrayed as gold-clad, tender or moist, blazing with radiance, fulfilled yet fulfilling others, lotus-seated and lotus-coloured. The obscure opening is retained as a source-critical reading. Explanation. Tṛptāṃ tarpayantīm joins inward sufficiency with outward generosity. Water, gold and lotus imagery belong together here. The 1906-derived witness reads kāṃsy asmi and hiraṇyapravārām, not the often printed kāṃ sosmitāṃ and hiraṇyaprākārām. The segmentation padme sthitām is editorially regularised from an uncertain electronic compound spelling; original-print collation is still needed.
Ṛc 5 — Choosing refuge over misfortune
Meaning. I seek refuge in luminous and generous Shri, honoured among the gods; I choose her presence and ask that misfortune leave me. The form I seek refuge in luminous and generous Śrī, honoured among the gods; I choose her presence and ask that misfortune leave me. The form taṃ padmanemiṃ is textually difficult in this witness. Explanation. The phrase alakṣmīr me naśyatām asks for the removal of want or ill fortune; it is not a call to disdain poor people. Source-critical care matters: the GRETIL/1906-derived line has taṃ padmanemiṃ, while familiar versions read tāṃ padminīm or tāṃ padmanemīm. The difficult gender/case relation is not silently corrected in this reading.
Ṛc 6 — Bilva and disciplined effort
Meaning. O Sun-bright Goddess, your bilva tree is spoken of as arising through austerity; may its fruit and the power of discipline dispel obstacles and outward misfortune. Explanation. The hymn itself explicitly names the bilva tree, so its association with Shri is part of this textual witness, even though bilva is also widely associated with Shiva in other contexts. The imagery speaks of ripening, effort and the removal of impediments; the verse alone does not prescribe a specific offering procedure. The word-group around , so its association with Śrī is part of this textual witness, even though bilva is also widely associated with Śiva in other contexts. The imagery speaks of ripening, effort and the removal of impediments; the verse alone does not prescribe a specific offering procedure. The word-group around māyāntarāyāḥ needs grammatical collation.
Ṛc 7 — Good name in society
Meaning. May the divine friend come to me with fame and a jewel. Living in this realm, may I receive good renown and increase. Explanation. The scope widens from household comfort to public reputation. Rāṣṭra evokes the community or realm in which the speaker is placed, not necessarily a modern nation-state. Kīrti may be read as lasting good name rather than notoriety; the hymn joins resources with the hope for an honourable life among others.
Ṛc 8 — Hunger and want
Meaning. I turn away Alakṣmī, figured as hunger, thirst and the elder condition of deprivation; drive want, lack of flourishing and every hindrance from my home. Explanation. Kṣut and pipāsā are ordinary bodily needs used here to personify suffering and deprivation. In the rhetorical contrast between Shri and Alakṣmī, are ordinary bodily needs used here to personify suffering and deprivation. In the rhetorical contrast between Śrī and Alakṣmī, people experiencing poverty are not themselves an impurity. The 1906-derived word sarvān in the second line is grammatically awkward beside feminine abstractions and is flagged for scrutiny, not silently replaced.
Ṛc 9 — Fertility and nourishment
Meaning. I invoke Shri, approached through fragrance, hard to overcome, ever-nourishing, associated with fertility and productive life, sovereign over all beings. I invoke Śrī, approached through fragrance, hard to overcome, ever-nourishing, associated with fertility and productive life, sovereign over all beings. Explanation. This verse is earthy rather than merely ornamental. Karīṣiṇī is difficult and has been connected by interpreters with cultivated, fertile or cattle-supported abundance; a single narrow modern gloss would be misleading. Nityapuṣṭā brings the theme of nourishment back into focus, balancing the radiant gold of earlier verses with the necessities of life.
Ṛc 10 — Truthful speech and food
Meaning. May we attain the heart’s worthy intention and truth in speech; may the forms of livestock and food, Shri and a good name find a place with me. May we attain the heart’s worthy intention and truth in speech; may the forms of livestock and food, Śrī and a good name find a place with me. Explanation. A particularly important turn: prosperity is paired with truthful speech and an intention of mind. The list of animals and food locates well-being in tangible subsistence. Wealth unconnected with integrity would be a thinner reading of the hymn than the verse’s own conjunction of vācaḥ satyam with material sufficiency.
Ṛc 11 — Kardama and household continuity
Meaning. Through Kardama, life or offspring is brought forth; O Kardama, arise in me and establish the lotus-garlanded Mother Shri in my family. Through Kardama, life or offspring is brought forth; O Kardama, arise in me and establish the lotus-garlanded Mother Śrī in my family. Explanation. Kardama can refer to moist, fertile earth and also functions here as a personified name in the hymn. A responsible reader holds those senses in view without inventing a detailed biographical genealogy. The prayer shifts from individual acquisition toward a dwelling where sustaining abundance can remain over generations.
Ṛc 12 — Ciklītā and living waters
Meaning. May soothing waters flow; O Ciklītā, dwell in my home and cause the divine Mother Shri to dwell here also. May soothing waters flow; O Ciklītā, dwell in my home and cause the divine Mother Śrī to dwell here also. Explanation. The water imagery gives the text a gently domestic texture: prosperity is imagined as something that moistens, nourishes and stays. Ciklītā, like Kardama, appears as a named addressee; traditions differ in how these names are explained. The wording ciklītā and singular/plural relations merit Vedic-language proofreading before recital teaching.
Ṛc 13 — Sunlight and ripeness
Meaning. Jātavedas, bring Lakshmi—mature or ripened, lotus-pond-associated, well-nourished, tawny-golden and lotus-garlanded, shining like the sun. Jātavedas, bring Lakṣmī—mature or ripened, lotus-pond-associated, well-nourished, tawny-golden and lotus-garlanded, shining like the sun. Explanation. The rare pakvāṃ (ripened, mature) comes from the selected scholarly transcription and is not to be swapped without notice for the ārdrāṃ common in many recitations. In this witness verse 13 is solar (sūryām) while verse 14 is lunar (candrām); several modern texts reverse these associations or exchange descriptive half-lines. This is a central version-control issue.
Ṛc 14 — Moonlight and gold
Meaning. Jātavedas, bring Lakshmi, moist or tender, lotus-water-associated, linked to the staff-like form, golden and gold-garlanded, bright like the moon. Jātavedas, bring Lakṣmī, moist or tender, lotus-water-associated, linked to the staff-like form, golden and gold-garlanded, bright like the moon. Explanation. The cluster ārdrāṃ puṣkariṇīṃ yaṣṭīṃ is vivid but not equally transparent in all words. Yaṣṭī can mean a staff or slender rod; broader symbolic glosses should not be asserted as a settled Vedic translation. This verse pairs cool lunar radiance with the previous verse’s sunlit register. Modern substitution with kariṇīṃ or a reversed solar association is recorded as an alternative only.
Ṛc 15 — Return to enduring ShriṚc 15 — Return to enduring Śrī
Meaning. Bring me, Jātavedas, steadfast Lakshmi, in whose presence gold is abundant and the speaker seeks cattle and the social dependants or household people named by this historical wording. Bring me, Jātavedas, steadfast Lakṣmī, in whose presence gold is abundant and the speaker seeks cattle and the social dependants or household people named by this historical wording. Explanation. The core returns to verse 2’s plea for a lasting presence, giving this sequence a circular close. The print-derived line explicitly includes dāsyo, a term entangled with historical relations of service and dependence; do not sanitise the reading, nor endorse enslavement. Common texts add aśvān or modify the list; the selected witness does not. The construction is philologically awkward and needs expert review.