Text 7] The Pumsavana Ritualistic Ceremony 275
visnu-patni mahd-maye
mahdapurusa-laksane
priyetha me maha-bhage
loka-matar namo ’stu te
visnu-patni—O wife of Lord Visnu; maha-maye—O energy of Lord
Visnu; mahd-purusa-laksane — possessing the qualities and opulences of
Lord Visnu; priyethah—kindly be pleased; me—upon me; maha-
bhage—O goddess of fortune; loka-matah—O mother of the world;
namah—obeisances; astu—may there be; te—unto you.
TRANSLATION
[After profusely offering obeisances unto Lord Visnu, the devo-
tee should offer respectful obeisances unto mother Laksmi, the
goddess of fortune, and pray as follows.] O wife of Lord Visnu, O
internal energy of Lord Visnu, you are as good as Lord Visnu Him-
self, for you have all of His qualities and opulences. O goddess of
fortune, please be kind to me. O mother of the entire world, I
offer my respectful obeisances unto you.
PURPORT
The Lord has multifarious potencies (pardsya Saktir vividhaiva
Srityate). Since mother Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, is the Lord’s very
precious potency, she is addressed here as mahd-mdye. The word maya
means Sakti. Lord Visnu, the Supreme, cannot exhibit His power every-
where without His principal energy. It is said, sakti Saktiman abheda:
the power and the powerful are identical. Therefore mother Laksmi, the
goddess of fortune, is the constant companion of Lord Visnu; they
remain together constantly. One cannot keep Laksmi in one’s home with-
out Lord Visnu. To think that one can do so is very dangerous. To keep
Laksmi, or the riches of the Lord, without the service of the Lord is al-
ways dangerous, for then Laksmi becomes the illusory energy. With Lord
Visnu, however, Laksmi is the spiritual energy.
TEXT 7
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