Karagre Vasate Lakshmi, the Morning Shloka
कराग्रे वसते लक्ष्मीः करमध्ये सरस्वती ।
करमूले तु गोविन्दः प्रभाते करदर्शनम् ॥
Karāgre vasate lakṣmīḥ kara-madhye sarasvatī
Kara-mūle tu govindaḥ prabhāte kara-darśanam
“At the tip of the hand dwells Lakshmi, in the middle of the hand Saraswati, at the base of the hand Govinda. Therefore, in the morning, one should look at one’s hands.”
Traditional prabhāta-smaraṇa
Word by word
A shloka a child understands is a shloka they keep. Here is what each word is actually doing.
The moment a child wakes, before getting out of bed, while looking at their own open palms.
- Anchors the day’s very first thought
- Comes with a physical action, so it is easy to remember
- Teaches that what you do with your hands is where fortune lives
- Ideal first shloka for a four-year-old
This is the most practical shloka in the whole tradition for a young child, because it has a gesture built in. Open your palms, look at them, chant. Children who resist a sit-down prayer will happily do this, and the association, my hands are where my luck and learning actually live, is a quietly excellent thing to grow up with.
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Questions parents ask
It says Lakshmi dwells at the fingertips, Saraswati in the middle of the palm and Govinda at its base, and so one should look at one’s hands first thing in the morning.
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All 28 shlokas
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