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Inviting the Goddess of
Fortune
From ISKCON DC
Submitted by Krsa Caitanya Dasa
When Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after an exile of fourteen years, the delighted residents welcomes Him by decorating the city with lights. Sita devi was an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune and Lord Rama was the supreme personality of Godhead, Vishnu. Factually, the denizens of Ayodhya were welcoming their worshipable Lord and His consort back amongst them.
This tradition has been carried forth for thousands of years when during the eve Diwali, people in India light their houses with diyas or small clay lamps and decorate their homes to welcome all prosperity and auspiciousness.
Lakshmi and Vishnu
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In the material world, wherever there is Lakshmi devi, there is opulence's and wealth. That is why so many people pray to Her, to give them material comforts, wealth and riches. Being merciful, She is easily pleased and quickly rewards Her devotees by fulfilling their desires. However, these benedictions are of a temporary nature. This is why we often see people enjoying great wealth, and then may suddenly loose everything and become poor. Or despite wealth, they may be in bad health, mental anxiety or physical stress.
In a conversation with the demigods in the Mahabharata, Lakshmi devi states that being a woman, She is of a fickle nature. On Her own She does not stay long any where. In the Brahma-samhita, Lord Brahma glorifies Krishna as being served my millions of goddesses of fortune in His eternal Goloka dhama. As a chaste wife Lakshmi devi is always by the side of Her husband.
So generally Lakshmi devi may come and go as She pleases, but where ever there is Sri Krishna, Lakshmi devi will be invariably there. In the house of a Vaisnava where Sri Krishna is being worshipped, Lakshmi devi will dutifully reside with Her husband.
Indigent vaisnava
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One of the popular mis-conceptions is that devotees of Lord Vishnu are generally poor. Certainly there seems to be some empirical evidence to substantiate this. However a closer look will show that this poverty is only superficial. The devotees enjoy real opulence since they have the constant association of the Lord and His faithful consort, Lakshmi devi. But in the mood of a devotee, they remain detached or use it for the service of the Lord.
The Lord is always eager to fulfill the desires of His devotees. When Sudama went to visit Krishna, even without his asking, Krishna made him rich beyond measure. However the only change in the life of Sudama was that he increased his service to the Lord and His devotees.
One of the earliest symptoms of devotional service is 'all-auspiciousness.' Devotional service to the Lord not only burns away all past and present reactions, it also infuses the devotee with all auspicious qualities. Where then can there be the question of devotees of the Lord being miserable?
Mercy of the Lord
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Wealth, power, fame can interfere with one's spiritual advancement. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.88.8), "yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih." The Lord said to Maharaja Yudhisthira, "The first installment of My mercy toward a devotee is that I take away all his possessions, especially his material opulence, his money." This is the special favor of the Lord toward a sincere devotee. If a sincere devotee wants Krishna above everything but at the same time is attached to material possessions, which hinder his advancement in Krishna consciousness, by tactics the Lord takes away all his possessions. An example of this is the Lord in the form of Vamanadeva taking away all the possessions of Maharaja Bali and bringing him to a point where he was completely dependant on the Lord.
However the Lord only does this to bring the devotee closer to Him. If a devotee would become bewildered or turn away from the Lord, then there is no reason for the omniscient Lord to deprive him of his wealth. And the rewards of the Lord are infinitely greater. Bali Maharaja was awarded everything that he was striving for and much more. Such is the magnanimity of the Lord.
Material detachment
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The material wealth or its lack of is primarily a symptom of past karmic reactions. Vaisanavas are well situated in this knowledge. They are aloof to the miseries ordained by the laws of karma, since they simply depend on the mercy of the Lord. They accept misfortunes as a result of their past mis-deeds and good fortune as the mercy of the Lord. From such material detachment comes protection from the fickleness of fortune.
In Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Goswami advise men not to unnecessarily work like asses for things that are not ordained by destiny. Factually the material world is place of misery. True intelligence dictates that one must try a get relief from this material distress rather than work hard and get temporary relief by lording it over material nature. Thus, while the materialists are working hard to get some wealth, the devotees are working harder to use their precious form of human life to get lasting relief from material distress.
Enjoying Lakshmi without the Lord
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Ravana had a demoniac mentality since he tried to enjoy Sita separate from Rama. For this he was killed. The same fate was also awarded to Hiranyakasyapu, Kamsa and many others who had embarked on the same course. The proper way to honor Lakshmi devi is by inviting Her worshipable Lord first and then with Her help serve the Lord Then and only then will there be lasting opulence and auspiciousness.
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