The best way to possess Lakshmi is to keep her by the side of Narayana.

“Riches come from Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, and the goddess of fortune is the property of
Narayana, the Supreme personality of Godhead. The goddess of fortune cannot stay anywhere but by the side of Narayana; therefore another of her names is Cancala, restless. She cannot be peaceful unless she is in the company of her husband, Narayana. For example, Laksmi was carried away by the materialistic Ravana. Ravana kidnapped Sita, the goddess of fortune belonging to Lord Rama. As a result, Ravana’s entire family, opulence and kingdom were smashed, and Sita, the goddess of fortune, was recovered from his clutches and reunited with Lord Rama. Thus all property, riches and wealth belong to Krishna. As stated in Bhagavad-gita (5.29):

bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram

“”The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the true beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, and He is the supreme proprietor of all the planetary systems.”” Foolish materialistic people collect money and steal from other thieves, but they cannot keep it. In any case, it must be spent. One person cheats another, and another person cheats someone else; therefore the best way to possess Laksmi is to keep her by the side of Narayana. This is the point of the Krishna consciousness movement. We worship Laksmi (Radharani) along with Narayana (Krishna). We collect money from various sources, but that money does not belong to anyone but Radha and Krishna (Laksmi- Narayana). If money is utilized in the service of Laksmi-Narayana, the devotee automatically lives in an opulent way. However, if one wants to enjoy Laksmi the way Ravana did, he will be vanquished by the laws of nature, and whatever few possessions he has will be taken away. Finally death will take everything away, and death is the representative of Krishna.”

Source: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (2014 edition), “Srimad Bhagavatam”, Fifth Canto, Chapter 14 – Text 24

Leave A Comment