Pradyumna: (reads synonyms, etc.) "Translation: The goddess of fortune, Lakṣmiji, was requested to go before the Lord by all the demigods present, who because of fear could not to so. But even she had never seen such a wonderful and extraordinary form of the Lord, and thus she could not approach Him."

Prabhupada:

sakṣat sriḥ; preṣita devair
drṣṭva taṁ mahad adbhutam
adrṣṭasruta-purvatvat
sa nopeyaya saṅkita
[SB 7.9.2]

So Sri, Lakṣmi, she is always in company with Narayaṇa, Bhagavan. Lakṣmi-Narayaṇa. Wherever Narayaṇa there is, there is Lakṣmi. Aisvaryasya samagrasya viryasya yassasaḥ; sriyaḥ;. Sriyaḥ;. So Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always full in six opulence: aisvarya, riches, samagrasya, all riches... Nobody can compete with Him. Here in the material world there is competition. You have got one thousand; I have got two thousand; another man has three thousand or three millions. Nobody can say, "Here is the end. I have got money." No. That is not possible. There must be competition. Sama urdhva. Sama means "equal," and urdhva means "greater." So nobody can become equal with Narayaṇa, and nobody can be greater than Narayaṇa. This has become a fashion nowadays, that daridra-narayaṇa. No. Daridra cannot be Narayaṇa, neither Narayaṇa can be daridra, because Narayaṇa is always accompanied by Sri, Lakṣmiji. How He can be daridra? These are manufactured foolish imagination. Aparadha.

yas tu narayaṇaṁ devaṁ
brahma-rudradi-daivataiḥ;
samatvena vikṣeta
sa paṣaṇḍi bhaved dhruvam
[Cc. Madhya 18.116]

Sastra says, yas tu narayaṇaṁ devam. Narayaṇa, the Supreme Lord... Brahma-rudradi daivataiḥ;. What to speak of daridra, even if you equalize Narayaṇa with such big, big demigods like Brahma or like Lord Siva, if you look that "Narayaṇa is as good as Lord Brahma or Lord Siva," samatvena vikṣeta sa paṣaṇḍi bhaved dhruvam, immediately he's a paṣaṇḍi. Paṣaṇḍi means most wretched. This is the sastric injunction. Yas tu narayaṇaṁ devam brahma-rudradi-daivataiḥ; samatvena.

So this has become a fashion, to equalize Narayaṇa with everyone. So in this way India's culture has been dismantled. Narayaṇa cannot be equal. Narayaṇa personally says in the Bhagavad-gita, mattaḥ; parataraṁ nanyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya [Bg. 7.7]. Another word is used: asamaurdhva. Nobody can be equal with Narayaṇa, Viṣṇu-tattva. No. Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ; paramaṁ padaṁ sada pasyanti surayaḥ;. This is Ṛg mantra. Viṣṇoḥ; padaṁ paramaṁ padam. Bhagavan is addressed by Arjuna, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhama pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavan [Bg. 10.12]. Paramaṁ bhavan. So this pasandi imagination will kill one's advancement, spiritual life. Mayavada. Mayavada. So therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu has strictly forbidden to associate with Mayavadi. Mayavadi bhaṣya sunile haya sarva-nasa: [Cc. Madhya 6.169] "Anyone who has associated with the Mayavadi, his spiritual life is finished." Sarva-nasa. Mayavadi haya krṣṇe aparadhi. You should be very, very careful to avoid these Mayavadi rascals. There cannot be such thing as "Narayaṇa has become daridra." It is impossible.

So Narayaṇa is always associated with sakṣat sriḥ;. Sri, especially here, Sri, Lakṣmiji, is mentioned, that she is associated with Narayaṇa constantly. That Sri expansion is in the Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Lakṣmi-sahasra sata-sambrahma sevyamanaṁ.

cintamaṇi prakara-sadmasu kalpa vrkṣa
laksavrteṣu surabhir abhipalayantam
lakṣmi sahasra-sata sambrahma-sevyamanaṁ
govindam adi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajami
[Bs. 5.29]

Not only one Sri, Lakṣmi, but lakṣmi-sahasra-sata. And they are serving the Lord, sambrahma sevyamanaṁ. We are praying to Lakṣmiji with sambrahma, "Mother, give me little money. Give me little favor I may be happy." We are worshiping Sri. Still, she does not remain, Sri. Sri's another name is Cañcala. Cañcala, she is in this material world. Today I may be millionaire, tomorrow I may be beggar in the street. Because every opulence depends on money. So money, here nobody can have fixed up. That is not possible. That Sri which is so flickering, they are worshiping the Lord with sambrahma, with respect. Here we are thinking, "Lakṣmi may not go away," but there, Sri is thinking, "Krṣṇa may not go away." That is the difference. Here we are afraid that Lakṣmi may go away at any moment, and they are afraid Krṣṇa may go away. This is the difference. So such Krṣṇa, such Narayaṇa, how He can be daridra? This is all imagination.

So sakṣat sri. She is always associated. If anyone tries to separate Sri from Narayaṇa, then he will be vanquished. The example is Ravaṇa. Ravaṇa wanted to separate Lakṣmi from Rama. This attempt is so dangerous that Ravaṇa, instead of becoming happy... He was so-called happy, materially opulent. But as soon as he separated Lakṣmi from Narayaṇa, he became vanquished with all his friend. So don't try to do that, to separate Lakṣmi from Narayaṇa. She cannot be separated. But if anyone attempts like that, he'll be ruined. He'll be ruined. The example is Ravaṇa. So at the present moment people are very much fond of sri, money. Sri-aisvarya. Sri-aisvarya. Sri-aisvarya prajepsavaḥ;. General people, they want sri, money, or beauty, beautiful woman. Sri-aisvarya, money, riches. Sri aisvarya prajepsavaḥ;. Praja. Praja means family, society, money. They want. So Sri is always hankered after, searched after. But do not try to keep Sri alone. Then you'll be ruined. This is the instruction. You do not try to keep Sri alone. Keep always with Narayaṇa. Then you'll be happy. Keep Narayaṇa. So those are riches, those who have got riches, rich, they should worship Narayaṇa also with that money. Spend money. Money is meant for service of Narayaṇa. So if you have got money, don't spoil it like Ravaṇa, but engage it in Krṣṇa's service. If you have got money, just spend it for very costly temple, for installing Lakṣmi-Narayaṇa, Radha-Krṣṇa, Sita-Rama, like that. Don't spoil your money in other way. Then you'll always remain rich. You'll never become poor. But as soon as you try to cheat Narayaṇa, that "I have taken Your Lakṣmi," you starve. That policy is very bad.

So anyway, wherever there is Sri, there is Narayaṇa, and wherever there is Narayaṇa, there is Sri. Therefore Narayaṇa and Sri... Nrsiṁhadeva is Narayaṇa, and Lakṣmi, They are constantly assoc... Therefore the devas, the demigods, when they saw that "Narayaṇa, Nrsiṁhadeva, was very, very angry. Nobody can pacify Him," so they thought that "Lakṣmiji is personal associate, constantly with Narayaṇa, so let her go and pacify Him." That is stated here. Sakṣat sriḥ; preṣita devair. The devas, Lord Brahma, Lord Siva and others, they requested, "Mother, you try to pacify your husband. It is not possible by us." But she also became afraid. She also became afraid. Sakṣat sriḥ; preṣita devair drṣṭva taṁ mahad adbhutam. She knows that "My husband has appeared as Nrsiṁhadeva," but because that wonderful feature of the Lord was so fearful, she did not dare to come before Him. Why? Now, adrṣṭasruta-purvatvat: since she also never knew that the her husband can assume the form of Nrsiṁhadeva. This Nrsiṁhadeva feature was specifically adopted for Hiraṇyakasipu. This is all-powerful. Hiraṇyakasipu took benediction from Lord Brahma that no god, demigod can kill him, no man can kill him, no animal can kill him, and so on, so on, so on. Indirectly he made a plan that nobody could kill him. And because first of all he wanted to become immortal, so Lord Brahma said that "I am not immortal. How can I give you the benediction of becoming...? That is not possible." So these rakṣasas, demons, they are very intelligent, duṣkrtina, intelligent—but for sinful activities. That is the feature of the rakṣasa. So he planned something, that "Indirectly I shall take benediction from Lord Brahma in such a way that I'll remain immortal." So in order to keep Brahma's promise, Narayaṇa appeared as Nrsiṁhadeva, half lion and half man. Therefore adrṣṭasruta-purva. Even Lakṣmi did not see such feature of the Lord, the half man, half lion. This is Narayaṇa or Krṣṇa, all-powerful. He can assume any form. That is... Adrṣṭa asruta-purva. Never saw. Although she is associated with the Narayaṇa, but she never saw such wonderful feature of the Narayaṇa. Therefore it is said, adrṣṭa asruta-purvatvat sa na upeyaya saṅkita. Lakṣmiji is chaste. So saṅkita: she was fearful, "May be He's different person." And she is the chaste, the most chaste. How she can mix with different person? Therefore saṅkita. This word is used, saṅkita. Although she is supposed to know everything, still, she was thinking, "May not be my husband." This is the ideal chaste, chastity, that even Lakṣmiji, being doubtful about Viṣṇu, she did not talk, did not approach. Saṅkita. This is another quality of Lakṣmiji. She became afraid, "He may not be Narayaṇa." Because she's never experienced of her husband such wonderful feature, half lion and half man. So adrṣṭasruta-purvatvat sa nopeyaya saṅkita.

So if we study the character of Lakṣmi-Narayaṇa, then we shall cease to manufacture such words as daridra-narayaṇa or this or that. No. We should therefore never follow this paṣaṇḍi.

yas tu narayaṇaṁ devaṁ
brahmarudradi-daivataiḥ;
samatvena vikṣeta
sa paṣaṇḍi bhaved dhruvam
[Cc. Madhya 18.116]

Paṣaṇḍi means devil, or nondevotee. Abhakta hina cara. Be careful not to mix with nondevotee who imagines about God. They do not believe in God actually. This paṣaṇḍi means who do not believe in God. They think that there is no God, but they simply say, "Yes, there is God, but God has no head, no tail, no mouth, nothing." And then what is God then? But these rascals say nirakara. Nirakara means there is no God. Say frankly that there is no God. Why do you say, "Yes, there is God, but He has no head, no tail, no leg, no hand"? So what is there? So this is another cheating. Those who are atheist, they say frankly, "I do not believe in God. There is no..." That we can understand. But these rascals, they say, "There is God, but nirakara." Nirakara means there is no God, but sometimes the word is used nirakara. But that nirakara does not mean God has no akara. That nirakara means that not this material akara. Isavaraḥ; paramaḥ; krṣṇahsac-cid-ananda vigrahaḥ;. His body is sac-cid-ananda. That is completely impossible to see within this material world. Our body is not sat. It is asat. This body which I have got now or you have got, it will remain so long this life... And when it is finished, it is finished forever. You'll never get this body again. Therefore asat.

But Krṣṇa's body is not like that. Krṣṇa's body is the same, sat, always the same. Krṣṇa's another name is narakrti. Our body is imitation of Krṣṇa's body, not that Krṣṇa's body is imitation of our body. No. Krṣṇa has got His body, narakrti, nara-vapu. These things are there. But that vapu is not like this asat. Our body is asat. It will not stay. His body is sac-cid-ananda. Our body is asat, acit and nirananda, just opposite. It will not stay, and there is no knowledge, acit, and there is no bliss. Always we are unhappy. So nirakara means not a body like this. His body is different. Ananda cinmaya rasa pratibhavitabhis [Bs. 5.37]. Ananda-cinmaya. Aṅgani yasya sakalendriya vrtti-manti pasyanti panti kalayanti ciraṁ jaganti [Bs. 5.32]. His aṅgani, aṅgani, parts of the body, are described, sakalendriya-vrtti-manti. I can see with my eyes. My, this special function of my, this part of the body is to see. But Krṣṇa, sakalendriya-vrtti-manti—He can not only see, but He can eat also. That is import. By seeing, we cannot eat, but whatever we offer, if Krṣṇa sees, He eats also. Aṅgani yasya sakalendriya-vrtti-manti. So how we can compare Krṣṇa's body with our body? But avajananti maṁ muḍhaḥ; [Bg. 9.11]. Those who are rascals, they think that "Krṣṇa has two hands, two legs; therefore I am also Krṣṇa. I am also." So don't be misled by the rascals, paṣaṇḍi. Take as there in the sastra, learn it from authorized sources, and be happy.

Thank you very much. (end)

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