Dreaming of money in Hinduism: meaning

Within this tradition

Lakshmi is usually shown seated on a lotus, with gold coins flowing from her hand. She is honoured above all at Diwali, when homes are cleaned and lamps are lit to welcome her, and on Dhanteras, the day before, many families buy something of gold or metal. Kubera, the guardian of riches, is the other name that comes up when wealth is mentioned.

Hindu thought counts four aims of life, the purusharthas: dharma, right conduct; artha, wealth and security; kama, love and pleasure; and moksha, liberation. Artha is a legitimate aim, as long as it is pursued within dharma. Wealth is not suspect in itself; what matters is how it is gained and what it serves. Giving, dana, is counted among the great virtues, and wealth that is shared is seen as wealth well used.

In that light a money dream is read with some nuance. Receiving money or finding coins is often read favourably, as Lakshmi's blessing or a turn for the better. Gold is a strong image of prosperity, and Ayurvedic writers also linked gold and heat with pitta, the fiery dosha. Losing money is read more as worry about security, or a fear of losing something you value.

Some folk lists read wealth dreams by contraries, as if a dream of riches would warn of a loss. Such lists differ from family to family, and Dreamkin does not use them to predict anything. A money dream is usually best read as a question about what gives you security, and what you would do with abundance if it came.

Common variations