Varalakshmi Vratham Katha: The Story of Charumathi
Varalakshmi Vratham Katha
The complete story of Charumathi behind the Varalakshmi Vratam — its meaning, and how it is read during the puja.
The story of Charumathi
Long ago, in the prosperous town of Kundinagaram in the Vidarbha kingdom, there lived a woman named Charumathi. She was gentle, devoted to her husband and family, and a sincere devotee of Goddess Lakshmi.
Pleased by her purity of heart, Goddess Adilakshmi appeared in Charumathi’s dream and said, “Perform the Varalakshmi Vratam with devotion, and I shall grant you and your family every prosperity.”
Charumathi shared the dream with the women of her town. On the appointed Friday, they rose early, bathed, dressed in fine clothes, and built a mandapam to worship the Goddess. They installed the kalasham, adorned it as Varalakshmi, and offered the sixteen upacharas with love.
As they completed the first round of worship and circumambulation, golden ornaments appeared on the women. After the second, they were blessed with Navaratna Kankanams — bangles of nine gems. Their homes filled with wealth, health and harmony, and word of the vratam’s power spread far and wide.
And so the Varalakshmi Vratam has been performed ever since — not for riches alone, but for the well-being of the family and the grace of the Goddess who grants every boon.
What the katha teaches
The katha reminds us that the Goddess responds to devotion and good conduct rather than wealth or status. Charumathi was honoured not for grand offerings but for a pure, loving heart. The blessings she received — ornaments and the nine gems — symbolise the Ashtalakshmi: wealth, health, knowledge, love, fame, peace, contentment and strength.
Reading the katha during the vratam
The Varalakshmi Vratha Katha is traditionally read or narrated after the archana and thoram-tying, with the family seated before the Goddess. Listening to the story with akshintalu in hand, and sprinkling them at the end, is considered part of the vratam. Follow it with the full pooja vidhanam.
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Frequently asked questions
Q.Who is Charumathi in the Varalakshmi katha?
Charumathi was a devout woman of Kundinagaram whom Goddess Adilakshmi blessed in a dream, instructing her to perform the Varalakshmi Vratam.
Q.When is the katha read during the vratam?
After the archana and thoram-tying, the family listens to the katha with akshintalu in hand before the mangala harati.
Q.What does the story teach?
That the Goddess responds to sincerity and good conduct, and that her grace brings the eightfold blessings of the Ashtalakshmi.