Text 22] The Residents of Jambūdvipa Offer Prayers
193
mat-prāptaye —to obtain my mercy;  aja —Lord Brahmā;  īśa —Lord Śiva;  sura —the other demigods, headed by King Indra, Candra and Varuṇa;  asura-ādayaḥ —as well as the demons;  tapyante —undergo;  ugram —severe;  tapaḥ —austerity;  aindriye dhiyaḥ —whose minds are absorbed in thoughts of superior sense gratification;  ṛte —unless;  bhavat-pada-parāyaṇāt —one who is wholly and solely engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord's lotus feet;  na —not;  mām —me;  vindanti —obtain;  aham —I;  tvat —in You;  hṛdayāḥ —whose hearts;  yataḥ —therefore;  ajita —O unconquerable one.
TRANSLATION
O supreme unconquerable Lord, when they become absorbed in thoughts of material enjoyment, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, as well as other demigods and demons, undergo severe penances and austerities to receive my benedictions. But I do not favor anyone, however great he may be, unless he is always engaged in the service of Your lotus feet. Because I always keep You within my heart, I cannot favor anyone but a devotee.
PURPORT
In this verse the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmīdevī, clearly states that she does not bestow her favor on any materialistic person. Although sometimes a materialist becomes very opulent in the eyes of another materialist, such opulence is bestowed upon him by the goddess Durgādevī, a material expansion of the goddess of fortune, not by Lakṣmīdevī herself. Those who desire material wealth worship Durgādevī with the following  mantra: dhanaṁ dehi rūpaṁ dehi rūpa-pati-bhājaṁ dehi . “O worshipable mother Durgādevī, please give me wealth, strength, fame, a good wife and so on.” By pleasing goddess Durgā one can obtain such benefits, but since they are temporary, they result only in  māyā-sukha  (illusory happiness). As stated by Prahlāda Mahārāja,  māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān : those who work very hard for material benefits are  vimūḍhas , foolish rascals, because such happiness will not endure. On the other hand, devotees like Prahlāda and Dhruva Mahārāja achieved extraordinary material