Text 24] The Forest of Enjoyment 35
TRANSLATION

Stealing or cheating another person out of his money, the condi-
tioned soul somehow or other keeps it in his possession and
escapes punishment. Then another man, named Devadatta, cheats
him and takes the money away. Similarly, another man, named
Visnumitra, steals the money from Devadatta and takes it away. In
any case, the money does not stay in one place. It passes from one
hand to another. Ultimately no one can enjoy the money, and it
remains the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

PURPORT

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 Cafiala, restless. She can-
not 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 Krsna. 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 Krsna consciousness movement. We worship Laksmi (Radharani)
along with Narayana (Krsna). We collect money from various sources.
but that money does not belong to anyone but Radha and Krsna (Laksmi-
