Why We Clean for Diwali: Lakshmi's Elder Sister

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode! Dharma Katha · Season 4: The Road to Diwali · Episode 143 Four days to Dhanteras. In millions of homes, the cupboards are open, the mattresses are out in the sun, and someone is standing on a chair, wiping a fan that has not been wiped since last Diwali. Ask anyone why, and they will say: Lakshmi does not come to a dirty house. But the old stories say something more interesting. They say it is not only about Lakshmi. It is about her sister. Missed the previous story? Listen to Episode 142 first. Source note. Label: Purana. Jyeshtha or Alakshmi emerging from the churning of the ocean before Lakshmi, her marriage to a sage, her refusal to enter his hermitage, and her list of the homes where she lives, are told in the Padma Purana and the Linga Purana; the details and the sage's name differ between texts. The sending away of Alakshmi in Bengal and the lemon and chillies at shop doors are living tradition. The reflections are my own. Note: this episode is narrated with an AI voice and the script was written with AI assistance. Sanskrit verses are checked against published editions; corrections are welcome.