Overview
Karagre Vasate Lakshmi — also called the Karadarshanam (“viewing of the hand”) — is a short four-line Sanskrit verse recited on waking, before the feet touch the ground. It doesn’t ask for anything. Instead, it asks the person reciting it to look at their own two open palms and recognize, in that first moment of the day, that prosperity, knowledge, and the divine are already present.
Origin and source
Karagre Vasate Lakshmi belongs to a small class of prātaḥ smaraṇa (morning-remembrance) verses — recited at the transition from sleep to waking, rather than during formal worship. It’s counted among the Puranic-tradition verses that entered household devotional practice directly, learned by repetition rather than through formal scriptural study.
Word-by-word meaning
Tap a word to see what it means and where it sits in the verse.
hand
| Sanskrit | IAST | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| कर | kara | hand |
| अग्रे | agre | at the tip, in front (locative of agra) |
| वसते | vasate | dwells, resides |
| लक्ष्मीः | lakṣmīḥ | Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and prosperity |
| मध्ये | madhye | in the middle |
| सरस्वती | sarasvatī | Saraswati, goddess of knowledge and speech |
| मूले | mūle | at the root, at the base |
| तु | tu | and, indeed (connective particle) |
| गोविन्दः | govindaḥ | Govinda — an epithet of Vishnu/Krishna ("keeper of cows"; also read as "lord of the senses") |
| प्रभाते | prabhāte | at dawn, at daybreak |
| करदर्शनम् | kara-darśanam | the viewing, the sight, of the hand(s) |
Meaning of the whole
Read as a whole, the verse maps three things onto the one part of the body a person first uses on waking. The fingertips (agre) hold Lakshmi — prosperity and abundance. The middle of the palm (madhye) holds Saraswati — knowledge and speech. The base of the palm, nearest the wrist (mūle), holds Govinda — an epithet of Vishnu, here standing for the divine that sustains everything else. The final line names the practice itself: karadarshanam, the viewing of the hand, done at dawn (prabhāte).
The verse isn’t a request for wealth, knowledge, or protection to be granted. It’s a way of noticing, first thing in the morning, that all three are already there.
How it is traditionally recited
By tradition, this verse is recited on waking — while still lying down, before the feet are set down on the ground — usually paired with actually opening the eyes and looking at one’s own palms. It is typically said once, as close to the very first act of the day as the reciter manages, before any of the day’s obligations begin. In many households it’s followed immediately by a second, related verse addressed to Bhumi Devi (the earth), recited at the moment the feet do touch the ground.
Place in devotional life
Karagre Vasate Lakshmi is usually one of the first Sanskrit verses a child learns, precisely because it’s short, doesn’t require any object or ritual setup, and can be said lying in bed. Its focus — gratitude for the day ahead, rather than a request — is part of why it endures as a small, private practice rather than a temple or festival verse.
