Chapter 85: Suvarṇasya Janma ca Pradāna-Phalam
The Origin of Gold and the Merit of Gifting
श्रीरवाच लोककान्तास्मि भद्ठ व: श्रीर्नामाहं परिश्रुता । मया दैत्या: परित्यक्ता विनष्टा: शाश्वती: समा:
śrīr uvāca—lokakāntāsmī bhadraṃ vaḥ; śrīr nāmāhaṃ pariśrutā. mayā daityāḥ parityaktā vinaṣṭāḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ.
Śrī (Lakṣmī) dit : «Que le bien-être soit sur vous. Je suis l’aimée des mondes, largement renommée sous le nom de Śrī. Lorsque j’abandonnai les Daityas, ils furent voués à la ruine pour des âges sans fin.»
भीष्म उवाच
Prosperity (Śrī/Lakṣmī) is aligned with dharma: when a group or ruler turns away from righteous conduct, fortune departs, and lasting ruin follows.
Śrī personified speaks, blessing her listeners and declaring her fame; she cites the Daityas as an example—once she left them, they fell into enduring destruction—illustrating the consequences of losing divine fortune.