Mahalakshmi Dhyana (Aksasrak Parashum) — Benefits & How to Chant
महालक्ष्मी ध्यान (अक्षस्रक्परशुं)
Complete guide to chanting correctly for maximum benefit
Benefits of Chanting Mahalakshmi Dhyana (Aksasrak Parashum)
The canonical dhyana of the eighteen-armed Mahalakshmi, slayer of Mahishasura, from the Durga Saptashati
Fixes the complete victorious form of the Goddess
with all her weapons — in the mind for meditation
Recited as the meditation verse before the middle charita of a Durga Saptashati / Chandi Path
Invokes both Lakshmi's abundance and Durga's protective, demon-slaying power
Bestows courage, victory over enemies and obstacles, and well-being
Especially chanted during Navaratri and on Tuesdays and Fridays
How to Chant Mahalakshmi Dhyana (Aksasrak Parashum)
Instructions
Sit facing east or north before an image of the Goddess. Recite this dhyana with concentration, visualising Mahalakshmi seated on the lotus, serene-faced, bearing each of the eighteen weapons and emblems named in the verse. It is traditionally chanted as the meditation verse opening the middle episode of a Chandi Path, and may also be repeated 9 or 108 times on its own.
Spiritual Significance
It is told in the Devi Mahatmyam that when no god could overcome Mahishasura, their concentrated radiance became this eighteen-armed Goddess, who received a weapon from each deity and slew the demon who had conquered the heavens — and devotees hold that to meditate on this form through the dhyana is to place oneself under the guard of all those divine weapons at once.
Origin & History
Source: Durga Saptashati (Devi Mahatmyam) — dhyana of the Madhyama Charita
Author: Traditional (Markandeya Purana tradition)
In the Durga Saptashati the Devi Mahatmyam unfolds in three charitas, each presided over by a great form of the Goddess — Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and Mahasaraswati. This verse is the dhyana of Mahalakshmi, the deity of the middle episode, in which the Goddess took shape from the combined splendour of all the gods and, bearing each of their weapons in her eighteen arms, rode forth to destroy the buffalo-demon Mahishasura. The dhyana is recited to behold and meditate upon that very form before reciting the chapters of her victory.