Once, a woodcutter made an idol of goddess Lakshmi. He placed the idol under a tree and started worshipping it. He kept fresh flowers and fruits in front of the idol on the day of Diwali. One day, the woodcutter gifted a similar idol to the king. The king was very pleased to see the beautiful idol. He gifted the woodcutter an entire jungle of sandalwood trees. But the woodcutter did not realise the worth of the sandalwood trees and felled all the trees in the forest. When the king learnt about it, he was very furious with the woodcutter. He called the woodcutter and punished him severely. The stupid woodcutter did not realise the real reason of the punishment and complained about it to his wife. His wife told him, “On the day of Diwali, goddess Lakshmi is never worshipped alone. Instead, she is always worshipped along with Ganesha.” The woodcutter realised his mistake and performed penance to please Ganesha.
Worshipping Lakshmi and Ganesha
