Text 9
śriyaṁ viṣṇuṁ ca varadāv
āśiṣāṁ prabhavāv ubhau
bhaktyā sampūjayen nityaṁ
yadīcchet sarva-sampadaḥ
śriyam — the goddess of fortune; viṣṇum — Lord Viṣṇu; ca — and; vara-dau — the bestowers of benedictions; āśiṣām — of blessings; prabhavau — the sources; ubhau — both; bhaktyā — with devotion; sampūjayet — should worship; nityam — daily; yadi — if; icchet — desires; sarva — all; sampadaḥ — opulences.
If one desires all opulences, his duty is to daily worship Lord Viṣṇu with His wife, Lakṣmī. With great devotion one should worship Him according to the above-mentioned process. Lord Viṣṇu and the goddess of fortune are an immensely powerful combination. They are the bestowers of all benedictions and the sources of all good fortune. Therefore the duty of everyone is to worship Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa.
Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa — Lord Viṣṇu and mother Lakṣmī — are always situated in everyone’s heart (īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati). However, because nondevotees do not realize that Lord Viṣṇu stays with His eternal consort, Lakṣmī, within the hearts of all living entities, they are not endowed with the opulence of Lord Viṣṇu. Unscrupulous men sometimes address a poor man as daridra-nārāyaṇa, or “poor Nārāyaṇa.” This is most unscientific. Lord Viṣṇu and Lakṣmī are always situated in everyone’s heart, but this does not mean that everyone is Nārāyaṇa, especially not those in poverty. This is a most abominable term to use in connection with Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa never becomes poor, and therefore He can never be called daridra-nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa is certainly situated in everyone’s heart, but He is neither poor nor rich. Only unscrupulous persons who do not know the opulence of Nārāyaṇa try to afflict Him with poverty.