Namastestu Mahamaye, the Lakshmi Shloka
नमस्तेऽस्तु महामाये श्रीपीठे सुरपूजिते ।
शङ्खचक्रगदाहस्ते महालक्ष्मि नमोऽस्तु ते ॥
Namas te’stu mahāmāye śrī-pīṭhe sura-pūjite
Śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-haste mahālakṣmi namo’stu te
“Salutations to you, great Maya, seated on the throne of splendour, worshipped by the gods. You who hold the conch, the discus and the mace, O Mahalakshmi, salutations to you.”
Mahālakṣmī Aṣṭakam, opening verse
Word by word
A shloka a child understands is a shloka they keep. Here is what each word is actually doing.
At Diwali and Lakshmi Puja, on Fridays, and at the start of anything to do with prosperity or a new venture.
- The classic Diwali recitation piece for children
- Short and highly rhythmic
- Teaches the iconography, conch, discus, mace, alongside the words
- Opens the well-known Mahalakshmi Ashtakam
Pair the chanting with a picture. Children remember shankha, chakra and gada far better when they can point to each one in her hands, and the vocabulary then carries over to dozens of other verses.
Shloka Classes
Reading a shloka and chanting it correctly are different things. In our live online classes a mentor corrects your child’s pronunciation in the moment, teaches the meaning alongside the sound, and builds a repertoire verse by verse. Ages 4-14 · 45 min · Weekly.
Questions parents ask
It means “salutations to you, great Maya”, and goes on to describe Mahalakshmi as seated on the throne of splendour, worshipped by the gods and holding the conch, discus and mace.
Learn these next
All 28 shlokas
Teach your child Namastestu Mahamaye, properly
A free, no-obligation trial class with a real mentor. Correct pronunciation, the meaning behind every word, and a practice that lasts.