Lakshmi Puja – Narayana, not Lakshmi, is Lakshmi-devi’s greatest blessing

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Thank you. Hare Krishna.
So, on the occasion of Lakshmi Puja, let us see what is its relevance and significance. The Vedic culture recognizes that God is not just male, God is always as a pair, male and female, Lakshmi, Narayan, Ram, Sita, Radha, Krishna, Sita, Ram, Radha, Krishna, like that. So, generally the female counterpart, the female manifestation of the absolute truth is worshipped along with the absolute truth.
That is the Vedic tradition. So, independent of this Vedic tradition, there is also a tradition of separate worship of the goddess. So normally the goddess is, so Parvati is worshipped with Shiva, but when Parvati is worshipped separate from Shiva, that is called as, that is the worship of Devi.
So, normally when a Devi is worshipped, she is often, because she is separate from the Lord, she is often ferocious and sometimes it is said that the goddess possesses some people. So, for those who want material things, the goddess can be worshipped separately. Now, when I said it is independent, that means that is not the highest of the Vedic conclusions.
So, that is not the recommended Vedic way of worshipping. So, from the worship of the goddess, Devi, some people have extrapolated and they have also made the worship of Lakshmi Devi as separate from the Lord. So, that is undesirable because the divine couple is always together and they need to be worshipped together.
So, Lakshmi, her greatest blessing is to, she considers as greatest blessing, not the fortune that she has, but the fortune to serve the Lord that she has and that is the fortune that she wants to give all of us. So, Lakshmi Puja, as it is often celebrated, is actually just to attract Lakshmi into one’s life. Lakshmi represents fortune, represents money and the idea is that by worshipping Lakshmi, one will get wealth.
So, that is a partial understanding. The wealth is always the servant of the Supreme Lord. So, Lakshmi Devi is the servant of the Supreme Lord and wealth is also the property of the Supreme Lord.
So, the purpose and perfection of wealth is that it is used in Krishna’s service, in the service of the Lord. So, devotees don’t focus on Lakshmi Puja. They actually worship Lakshmi and Narayan together.
And in general, whenever there are Lakshmi Deities, always there is Narayan Deity also. That is how it was in traditional temples. Maybe not in the same place, but nearby.
That is how it always has been. And just as the Deities may be slightly separated, at slight distance, although many places they are together also, that is the normal standard, but the idea is they should be worshipped together. So, when we see, when the devotees have the occasion of Lakshmi Puja, as per the tradition, there is worship of Lakshmi in the family going on or in one’s own social circle going on.
Then, it is not that we have to turn away from it, but we can pray to Lakshmi Devi that just as she is devoted to the Lord, that she may also help us to become devoted to the Lord. Lakshmi Devi is the topmost among the devotees of the Lord in the form of Vishnu. And she is so intimately dear to the Lord.
She is his counterpart, his manifestation in the Madhurya Rasa. So, Krishna himself manifests as Radharani. Similarly, the expansion of Radharani serves the other forms of the Lord.
So, Lakshmi serves Narayan. So, when the Lakshmi Puja goes on, a devotee doesn’t consider Lakshmi as meant for one’s enjoyment, but to consider that Lakshmi is meant for Krishna’s enjoyment, not like Ravana wanting Sita for one’s own enjoyment, but Hanuman using all those abilities to unite Sita with Lord Ram. So, the true Lakshmi Puja is when we not just ask Lakshmi for her blessings, but accept as her blessing that which she considers to be the greatest blessing, that is pure devotion to the Lord.
So, she is devoted to Lord Narayan and her greatest blessing which we can seek in Lakshmi Puja is that we also become devoted to Lord Narayan. And whatever resources she blesses us with, we need resources in this world to live and to serve. So, whatever resources she blesses us with, we don’t seek those resources independently, but we seek those resources and use those resources in the service of the Lord, in assisting her in her service to the Lord.
That is the best way in which we can celebrate Lakshmi Puja by accepting as a blessing that which she considers to be her greatest blessing. Thank you! Lakshmi Devi ki Jai!