Part 2
Śrī Sūkta, also called Śrī Sūktam, is a Sanskrit devotional hymn revering Śrī as Lakṣmī, the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and fertility. Śrī Sūkta is recited, with a strict adherence to the Chandas, to invoke the goddess' blessings. The hymns are found in the Rig Vedic khilanis, which are appendices to the Ṛkveda that probably date to pre-Buddhist times.
The Śrī Sūkta forms part of the khilanis or appendices to the Ṛkveda. These were late additions to the Ṛkveda, found only in the Bāṣkala śākhā, and the hymn themselves exist in several strata that differ both in content and period of composition. For instance, according to J. Scheftelowitz, stratum 1 consists of verses 1–19 (with verses 3–12 addressed to the goddess Śri and 1–2 and 13–17 to Lakṣmī), while the second stratum has verses 16–29 (i.e., the second version deletes verses 16–19 of the first). The third stratum, with verses beginning from number 23, similarly overlaps with the second version.
The first stratum is the most commonly attested and is usually appended to the Fifth Mandala of Ṛkveda (Rigveda). Most of its verses were probably composed during the period of the Brāhmaṇa, with a few added in the Upaniṣadic times. The second stratum post-dates the first; while the third is attested in a single, more recent, text.
The Śrī Sūkta forms part of the khilanis or appendices to the Ṛkveda. These were late additions to the Ṛkveda, found only in the Bāṣkala śākhā, and the hymn themselves exist in several strata that differ both in content and period of composition. For instance, according to J. Scheftelowitz, stratum 1 consists of verses 1–19 (with verses 3–12 addressed to the goddess Śri and 1–2 and 13–17 to Lakṣmī), while the second stratum has verses 16–29 (i.e., the second version deletes verses 16–19 of the first). The third stratum, with verses beginning from number 23, similarly overlaps with the second version.
The first stratum is the most commonly attested and is usually appended to the Fifth Mandala of Ṛkveda (Rigveda). Most of its verses were probably composed during the period of the Brāhmaṇa, with a few added in the Upaniṣadic times. The second stratum post-dates the first; while the third is attested in a single, more recent, text.
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