*** 錫呂拉希什米與金錢
***
拉希什米(Lakshmi)是給我們財富、繁榮的女神，毫無疑問的，她是帶來幸福的。她給我們保護，她也非常謙虛，從她站在蓮花上即可知道，她是非常輕盈的，即她不會給人壓力。這些都是拉希什米的特徵。
但是唯有在這個時代，她同時也是摩訶摩耶(Mahamaya，即''大幻相'')的一部分。當人們得到拉希什米(的祝福)，即得到(許多)金錢時，人們並不明瞭拉希什米最初是人們的母親，所以拉希什米(及金錢)必須被尊重。即拉希什米帶來的祝福及金錢必須以極端適切的心態來使用，就如同(均衡地)站在蓮花上，而不會摔到水池中，這含義就是你必須超越來自幻相(maya)的誘惑，安穩地站在蓮花上，否則摔下來就會被池中各種(可怕的)動物吃掉了。
在梵文中，我們也稱拉希什米是幻相，如果有人得到很多錢，大家都會說：你獲得了許多幻相。(註一)
這個幻相會玩許多把戲，金錢及繁榮並無法拯救這個世界，否則這個世界不會(在擁有金錢及繁榮之後)仍然有這麼多問題。那些有錢的人往往被金錢所毀滅，假如他們本身沒有，則往往是孩子或是孫子被毀滅。
人們內在的拉希什米原理是非常模糊的，今日社會外在的誘惑又如此大，以至於人們看到別人開名車，就會認為："哇！他是一個了不起的人！"，他無論如何都不會給你他的車，有什麼好讚嘆呢！假如有人擁有許多豪華建築物，人們就開始欽佩仰慕，這是黑暗時代(Kali Yuga)的特色，人們仰慕那些有錢人 ，甚至也仰慕穿名牌衣服的人。
金錢對人的誘惑力是如此之大，它可以毀滅人們對崇高價值的各種寶貴感受 ，它幾乎可以毀滅任何價值。例如一個(原本)不錯、可親的人，那天他以不正當的手法獲得了一大筆錢，他可能變成一個不理會父母、兄弟姊妹的人。所以可以這麼說，拉希什米此時變成一個負面(bhoot)，所有拉希什米的祝福都變成對你的品格、尊嚴的挑戰。
拉希什米普祭並非表示你來崇拜金錢，金錢(其實)是最危險的東西，它是拉希什米女神隱藏的武器。假如你誤用她所帶來的金錢，那麼拉希什米會用金錢給你一拳，假如你還未清醒，她會再給你另一拳。然後她可能(試著)扭轉你，試各種方法來說服你，告訴你目前所做的是毫無意義的。(假如你仍執迷不悟)，最後她會睜著眼睛看你被徹底毀滅。所以拉希什米雖然 是恩惠的施予者，是各種財物的給與者，但是你不應當被她屬於大幻相的特質所誤導。我是你們的母親，所以我最好還是告訴你們：要非常小心。
註一：譯者：''幻相''在此句開玩笑的話語中，可能有"試煉"的含義。
註二：江瑞凱摘譯自Shri
Mataji 在光明節普祭(Diwali Puja)的談話1997-11-02。JSM ! 敬請霎哈嘉兄弟姊妹們指正。
Lakshmi is the Goddess which gives us wealth, gives us
prosperity. She is very blissful, no doubt. She gives you protection and
also She is very humble because She stands on the lotus. She is very
light, [which] means She does not put Her pressure on anyone. These are symbols
of Shri Lakshmi.
But also She is a part of Mahamaya in the modern times only.
When people get Lakshmi, the money, they don’t understand that She is
their Mother firstly, and She is to be respected. When this kind
of perverse idea of Shri Lakshmi comes in such countries, such people meet
their last end and destruction of the worst type ever.
So this Lakshmi has to be used with a big balance, like
standing on a lotus and not get into the pond, where there are all kinds of
creatures to eat you all. You have to stand on the lotus: that means that you
are above all the lures of this maya.
Also in Sanskrit languages, we call Lakshmi as the maya.
If somebody gets lot of money, they will say, “You got a lot of maya!”
Now, this Maya plays the tricks. If money, prosperity was the
salvation, then there would have been no problems in this world. Because
those people who have money always get ruined. If they are not
ruined, their children, their grandchildren get ruined.
This principle of Lakshmi within us is very dubious and
the allurement is so much that people see somebody having a good car these
days, they think, “Aaah! What a man he is!” In any case, he is not going to
give you the car! If somebody is having lots of palaces or buildings people
start admiring them! This is Kali Yuga. They start admiring: “See this
man is so rich!” Even [with] clothes: people see you wearing clothes which are
very well tailored; might be from some designers [so] they think no end of that
man. For example, in England, there is another befooling place called
‘Saville Row’. So if you want to buy one suit, you have to pay sometimes
£3000. Now, people are so stupid that now if they wear a suit from
Saville Row, they put the brand outside: “Saville Row”! .........
Money is such a lure for human beings that it kills all sense
of decency of higher values, everything. A brother who is
very nice and a good fellow, if he gets money out of proportion by doing
hanky-panky, he neglects his mother, father, brothers, sisters, everyone. So I
would say, then it comes to that point that Lakshmiji becomes a bhoot
then and all Her blessings become a challenge to your dignity. ........
Today is the day for us to celebrate the Lakshmi puja. But
Lakshmi puja doesn’t mean that you worship money. Money as it is, is the
most dangerous thing, and I think it is the hidden weapon of Lakshmi
Devi. You see, if you try to misuse Her, She goes on punching with it.
With one punch, if you don’t realise then She gives you another
punch — like that. Then She might little bit twist you, to suggest.
She’ll try everything to convince you that what you are doing is nonsense.
Ultimately, She sees your destruction completely.
