294
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 8, Ch. 8]
achieve the favor of the goddess of fortune without a doubt, but materialists who try to get the favor of the goddess of fortune only to possess her for personal enjoyment are frustrated. Theirs is not a good policy. The celebrated demon Rāvaṇa, for example, wanted to deprive Rāmacandra of Lakṣmī, Sītā, and thus be victorious, but the result was just the opposite. Sītā, of course, was taken by force by Lord Rāmacandra, and Rāvaṇa and his entire material empire were vanquished. The goddess of fortune is desirable for everyone, including human beings, but one should understand that the goddess of fortune is the exclusive property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One cannot achieve the mercy of the goddess of fortune unless one prays both to her and to the supreme enjoyer, the Personality of Godhead.
TEXT 10
तस्या आसनमानिन्ये महेन्द्रो महदद्भुतम् । मूर्तिमत्यः सरिच्छ्रेष्ठा हेमकुम्भैर्जलं शुचि ॥१०॥
tasyā āsanam āninye mahendro mahad-adbhutam mūrtimatyaḥ saric-chreṣṭhā hema-kumbhair jalaṁ śuci
tasyāḥ—for her; āsanam—a sitting place; āninye—brought; mahā-indraḥ—the King of heaven, Indra; mahat—glorious; adbhutam—wonderful; mūrti-matyaḥ—accepting forms; sarit-śreṣṭhāḥ—the best of various sacred waters; hema—golden; kumbhaiḥ—with waterpots; jalam—water; śuci—pure.
TRANSLATION
The King of heaven, Indra, brought a suitable sitting place for the goddess of fortune. All the rivers of sacred water, such as the Ganges and Yamunā, personified themselves, and each of them brought pure water in golden waterpots for mother Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune.