Śrī Sūkta — The Vedic Foundation of Śrī's Sovereignty
Śrī Sūkta is a hymn of fifteen primary verses (ṛcas) — with a further six supplementary verses — found in the Khilasūktas (supplementary hymns) of the Ṛg Veda. It is addressed to Śrī (Lakṣmī), the divine Goddess who pervades and animates all auspiciousness, and who dwells eternally with Viṣṇu as His inseparable consort. The Śrī Sūkta's theological importance in the Śrī Vaiṣṇava tradition is foundational: it provides the Vedic sanction for the ubhaya-vibhūti (the reality that Bhagavān's sovereignty encompasses both the eternal and material realms) and for Śrī's active role in mediating liberation.
Content and imagery: The Śrī Sūkta opens with the invocation: hiraṇya-varṇāṃ hariṇīṃ suvarṇa-rajata-srajām — 'I call upon the golden-hued, deer-like one, who wears garlands of gold and silver' — and proceeds to describe Lakṣmī as: padmālayāṃ (dwelling on the lotus), padmamukhīṃ (lotus-faced), padmāmbharāṃ (lotus-clothed), and eternally accompanied by Viṣṇu (viṣṇu-patni). The recurring motif of the lotus connects Śrī to all that is auspicious, pure, and life-giving; gold-imagery throughout evokes prosperity, immortality, and the light of divine grace. The hymn closes with the prayer for Alakṣmī (misfortune) to depart, and for Śrī's grace to fill one's home — expressing both the this-worldly and transcendental dimensions of her sovereignty.
Theological significance in Viśiṣṭādvaita: For Rāmānuja and the Śrī Vaiṣṇava Āchāryas, the Śrī Sūkta is not merely devotional poetry but ontological testimony. Rāmānuja's Vedārthasaṃgraha cites it among the pramāṇas (valid scriptural authorities) establishing that Lakṣmī is not a secondary deity but the pradhāna-śakti (primary power) of Nārāyaṇa — co-sovereign with Him over both vibhūtis (realms). Piḷḷai Lokāchārya's Śrī Vachana Bhūṣaṇam opens with the declaration that Śrī's purushakāra (intercession on behalf of the surrendering soul) is the reason prapatti is accessible: without Her recommending the errant jīva to Bhagavān, the jīva's surrender might not be received. The Śrī Sūkta grounds this doctrine in Vedic antiquity.
Liturgical use: The Śrī Sūkta is recited daily in Śrī Vaiṣṇava temples during the Śrī Bhāṣya recitation, at thiruvaradhanam (domestic worship), during Śrī Jayantī celebrations, and at all major temple festivals. Its verses are chanted over the abhiṣeka (ritual bathing) of the Goddess, and the lotus symbolism is ritually enacted through the offering of lotus flowers at every Śrī Vaiṣṇava worship.