56 - Stotra of Lakshmi 

Narada said- О Brahman, I have listened to the endless story of Krishna which is quite astonishing, secretive and astonishing. 

I would like to listen to the way Sri Krishna shattered the pride of Mahavishnu and others. You kindly tell me this in detail. 

The life story of lord Krishna is quite sweet but it is always pleasant to listen to the story from the mouth of a good poet which becomes immensely sweeter (thus by listening to the story of lord Krishna from your mouth, it would add to the sweetness further). 

Narayana said- Once Mahavishnu was inflated with pride suddenly that the entire universe was lodged in his hair-pits and therefore he was the supreme lord. 

Thereafter lord Krishna took to the form of Samhara-bhairava and started swallowing him. When only the head was left Mahavishnu started offering prayers devotedly to the lord. Finding him terrified the merciful lord restored his body completely.  

О Brahman, similarly Brahma also was once so inflated with pride that he was the sole creator of the universe and as such the supreme lord. He thought that there was none else who could be more adorable than him, nor was there anyone else who had so completely controlled his sense organs. Having thus resolved in his mind, he was filled with pride. 

Thereafter lord Krishna displayed the forms in which there were creatures with five faces, four faces, six faces and many of them having a hundred faces. He displayed the Brahmanda together with Brahma playfully as a result of which Brahma felt ashamed and he lowered his head in shame and got ready to end his life. Thereafter the lord who is the ocean of mercy bestowed his grace on him. At the appropriate time he made him unadorable and as a result of the curse of Mohini, he made him passionate by displaying his own daughter before him and thereafter he got his pride shattered through Shiva. Getting ashamed he thought of ending his life and took to another body. Thereafter the great intellectual and eternal who is also the form of intellectuals and an eternal lord took to the form of a Brahmana and appeared before Brahma and made him adorable again bestowing the divine knowledge on him. Similarly, lord Vishnu also was once inflated with pride and thought, "I alone maintain the entire universe and as such I happen to be the supreme lord.". 

Thereafter at the time of the incarnation of Rama he shattered his pride by making him forget himself and his pride was shattered. Sesha also once was filled with pride feeling, "I carry the entire universe on my head and there was no one else comparable to me." Finding this the lord got his pride shattered through Garuda. О sage, once all the serpents adored Garuda the vehicle of Krishna, but serpent Sesha refused to do so, swollen with pride. At this Garuda was enraged and subjugated Ananta; thereafter all merciful Krishna got him released. Lord Shiva even was not prepared to marry because of the pride in him. Lord Krishna influenced him with his illusion and got him married; thereafter his wife named Mahasati the daughter of Daksha was kidnapped (because she ultimately burnt his body in the fire-altar of Daksha). Thereafter lord Shiva carrying the dead body of Sati in his lap suffered from the pain and grief for many years. He cried again and again because of his grief and roamed about in several places. 

Thereafter, getting back Sati in the form of Parvati, he was fully delighted but because of the curse of Daksha he forgot all his divine knowledge. Durvasa, the son of Angira, helped him in restoring the divine knowledge to Shiva. Similarly, in the earlier times, lord Krishna sent Shiva mounted on a chariot for the killing of Tripurasura. Though the compassionate Shiva could bestow all the books on everyone and himself being kalpavruksha took a vow thereafter, Vrukasura adored lord Shiva and achieved a boon from Shiva, who said, "Your desire will be fulfilled." Thus, with the boon of Rudra, the demon before leaving that place intended to place his hand on Shiva's head. 

Finding this, Shiva felt panicky and went to take refuge with the lord. Thereafter, the lord reduced to ashes that demon for the sake of Shiva.

In the earlier times, while fighting with Banasura, Shiva was playfully made motionless by the lord Krishna. 

Again, in the yajna of Daksha, the lord removed Shiva from the place by holding him by the neck. Similarly, Dharma attracted a great curse from the daughter of Kedara, as a result of which he became very weak like the moon of the dark fortnight. 

After the end of the curse, in Satyayuga he became complete and healthy. In Tretayuga he had three feet only, in the Dvapara only two and in the age of Kali he had only one foot left and thereafter he completely disappears. Thus, Dharma getting present in sixteen parts was immensely upset and started adoring at the feet of the lord. He was complete in the Satyayuga in all respects. Similarly, he went on increasing and decreasing according to the yugas; as a result of the curse of the sage Mandava even Yama had to be born in the house of Shudra and could be purified only after a hundred years. 

Samba attracted leprosy because of the curse of his step-mother. He after performing the vrata of Surya was purified again. 

Infatuated with pride Candrama abducted Tara, the wife of Bruhaspati as a result, he attracted the disease of consumption and his pride was shattered. 

Because of the pride of his lustre, Surya went after Sumali a devotee of Shiva in order to kill him. The sun was performing the duty of illumining the universe day and night. Getting terrified by the sun, the demon took refuge with Shiva. 

О sage, finding Surya there Shiva took up his trident to strike at Surya, as a result of which he was terrified and while running he left Kasi. Then Shiva the lord of Kasi attacked Surya with his trident, as a result of which he fainted and fell down on the ground. And thus, his pride was shattered. Thereafter the entire universe was plunged in to darkness. Finding this, Shiva who gets pleased in no time revived the sun back to life. 

Getting ashamed and terrified, Surya then adored Shiva. The all merciful Shiva delightfully pronounced his blessing on Surya and left for his abode. In earlier times the lord shattered the pride of Garuda in no time, with the breathing of Nandi who was serving as a mount to Shiva. Garuda flew away at the time when Shiva was intending to meet Narayana mounted on the back of Nandi. 

Similarly, the pride of Agni was shattered because of the curse of sage Bhrugu and he became the consumer of everything; the pride of Bruhaspati was shattered with the abduction of his wife Tara. 

The pride of Durvasa was shattered because of the unbearable Sudarshana-chakra when he wanted to kill Ambarisa a devotee of Vishnu. 

The lord threw away his attendants Jaya and Vijaya from Vaikuntha with the curse of the Brahmana sage Sanatkumara and shattered their pride. 

In due course of time both Jaya and Vijaya were born as the demons named Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha. Out of these too Hiranyakashipu was killed by lord Nrusimha and similarly Hiranyaksha was killed by Vishnu in the form of Varaha incarnation who rescued the earth from the deep water. 

In due course of time both of them were born as Ravana and Kumbhakarna and were killed in Lanka by the arrows of Rama. Brahma had already prayed for their killing in earlier times. Then in the third birth they were born as Sisupala and Dantavakra who achieved heaven after having been killed at the hands of Sri Krishna. Thus, lord Krishna created differences between the gods and the demons, shattered their pride in one way or the other. 

The lord has also shattered your pride through Brahma because in the earlier times you happened to be Narada the son of Prajapati. With the curse of your father you became a Gandharva, son of a Shudra woman and in due course of time you were reborn as Narada. 

Once the god of love was also inflated with pride thinking that the entire universe was controlled by him. Then the lord got the god of love reduced to ashes through Shiva and getting pleased, brought him back to life, since that time the god of love never tries to influence the devotees of the lord. 

Lord also shattered the pride of Lakshmana in the battle-field when he had to face the trident of Shiva which was shot by Ravana. 

О Narada, Rama offered prayer who himself had incarnated on earth and had forgotten his true form because of the curse of Brahma. Lakshmana was revived back to life. 

In the earlier times the lord shattered the pride of Kartaviryarjuna of the use of the battle-axe by Parashurama. The pride of Arjuna was also shattered with the death of the Brahmana boy, the abduction of the wives of Krishna and at the time of the battle between Kama and Arjuna.

At the time of abduction of Usha, the lord himself cut off the arms of Banasura and shattered his pride. The pride of Bhrugu was shattered in the yajna of Daksha. 

In the marriage of Rama when Parashurama met him on the way, his pride was shattered by him. 

The pride of the Sumeru mountain was shattered with the breaking of its peaks by the wind. The pride of the ocean was shattered when Agastya drank its water. 

In the earlier times the pride of enraged wind was shattered by the lord when he wanted to untimely destroy the universe by killing the sun. 

At the time of journey on the abduction of Usha, the lord left Dvaraka but by pronouncing a curse on Varuna who was abducting the cows of Banasura, his pride was shattered. At the time of quarrel between Ganga and Sarasvati in the presence of Vishnu he shattered the pride of Sarasvati by disowning her. 

Shiva disowned the proud Durga, while living in Himalaya and reduced the god of love to ashes and he himself went for performing tapas. Thereafter, the goddess felt very much ashamed, after her pride was shattered, she started adoring lord Vishnu for getting back Shiva as her husband. For this purpose, she went to the forest for performing tapas. 

While performing tapas in Bharata for a long time, she achieved the eternal lord Shiva as her husband with the blessing of lord Vishnu. 

The goddess became quite fortunate and the beloved of Shiva, besides being adorable by all the gods and the goddesses of the universe. 

О great sage, in the earlier times, Mahalakshmi also was once filled with pride. Then he made Jaya and Vijaya to insult her, as a result of which her pride was shattered. She, after bestowing the boon on her devotees, was entering the door when the gate-keepers stopped her. 

The extremely proud and chaste Mahalakshmi was enraged because her insult was about to end her life, devoting her mind at the lotus-like feet of the lord. 

At that point of time all the gods like Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, Dharma, Surya, Moon, Kamadeva, Vaishvanara, Kubera, the sages, the ascetic, Vinayaka, the Manush, Mahendra, Varuna, Vayu and Agni arrived before Lakshmi while crying. They started eulogising the Mulaprakruti and Ishvari known as Mahalakshmi. 

The gods said- You forgive us О mother, О Bhagavati you are beyond everyone and have the form of spotless and sattva. You are beyond anger, forgive us. 

You are the best of all the chaste goddesses, adored by all the gods, without you the entire universe is like death and infructuous. 

You represent the fortunes of all, you happen to be the form of all, you are Raseshvari and the great goddess. All the women on earth represent was rays. 

You are Prakruti in Kailasa, Sindhuputri, Mahalakshmi in the ocean of milk, Svargalakshmi in the heaven and Martyalakshmi on earth. 

Similarly, in Vaikuntha you are Mahalakshmi, Sarasvati, goddess of the gods, Ganga, Tulasi and Savitri of Brahmaloka. 

In the Goloka you are the great goddess Radha who is dearer to Krishna than his life, Raseshvari at the time of divine dance and Vrunda in Vrundavana. 

You are Krishnapriya in the Bhandira forest, Candra in the forest of sandal-wood, Viraja in the forest of champaka flowers and Sundari in the mountain of a hundred peaks. 

You are Padmavati of Padma forest, Malati of the Malati forest, Kundadanti in the forest of lotus flower and Sushila in the forest of Ketaki flowers. 

You are Kadambamala in the kadamba forest, Rajalakshmi in the royal houses, Gruhalakshmi in every house. 

Thus, speaking all the gods, the sages and Manu bowed in reverence to her and started crying with their throats, lips and palates having been dried up. 

Thus, whosoever recites this Lakshmi stotra composed by gods early in the morning, surely gets everything. 

One who is deprived of a wife gets a very chaste, noble and charming wife having a sweet tongue besides grandsons and all the riches. He gets a damsel of high family with tender limbs.

The one having no son gets a Vaishnava son having a long life, possessing all the riches and the one who is well educated. The people who are deprived of their kingdom would get it back and regain the lost riches and the lost relatives. The pauper would receive enough of riches with glory.

Thus, this stotra is quite beneficial, bestows welfare, destroys grief and always bestows dharma, artha, kamа and moksha besides good friends.