Adhyaya 92 — Devi’s Assurance of Protection and the Fruits of Reciting the Devi Mahatmyam
भवकाले नृणां सैव लक्ष्मीर्वृद्धिप्रदा गृहे ।
सैवाभावे तथालक्ष्मीर्विनाशायोपजायते ॥
bhavakāle nṛṇāṃ saiva lakṣmīr vṛddhipradā gṛhe / saivābhāve tathālakṣmīr vināśāyopajāyate
Sa mga panahong may kaginhawahan ang mga tao, siya mismo ang nagiging Lakṣmī sa tahanan, na nagbibigay ng pagdami at pag-unlad; at sa mga panahong pagbulusok, siya ang nagiging Alakṣmī, na lumilitaw para sa pagwasak.
Prosperity and loss are not random in the Purāṇic worldview; they are phases under a single divine sovereignty. The lesson for householders is steadiness—use Lakṣmī for dharma and remain composed when Alakṣmī manifests.
Relates chiefly to Sthiti (household flourishing) and the cyclical governance within Manvantara; it also hints at karmic causality, though not explicitly stated.
Lakṣmī/Alakṣmī represent the mind’s sense of abundance or lack; both are movements of śakti. Recognizing a single source reduces attachment in gain and aversion in loss.