The appearance of Lakshmi Devi

Lakshmi Devi is a Divine personality who always serves the lord's feet. As Vishnus mate, the also has the power to give everyone wealth, being the power of wealth and fortune. That power is pursued by most people, but not in a good way.

Once the Devas and the Asuras, the good and evil forces of the universe, declared a truth in order to churn a life giving nectar out of an ocean of milk. Vishnu, the supreme person himself, brought a grate mountain called Mandara to serve as a churning rod. Vasuki, the king of snakes, wrapped his grate body around the mountain and the two groups were to pull on the two ends like a rope for the churning. But then the Asuras, the proud lustful demons, had a complaint: "why should we grab on the snakes backside and not the head? Let us have the head and you the back!" So proud were they. But Vishnu Bhagavan, in grate humility and with a smiley face, let them have the front. And during the churning, the Asuras suffered a grate deal from the fire coming from the serpent's thousands of mouths. Such are the choices of materialistic people, going after what seems pleasant and not what is right. And thus it is said "The good is one thing, the pleasurable is another. They lead to different places. The wise man choose the good while the one who choose the pleasurable shell not reach his goal." (Katha-Upanishad 2.1.1)

And with the life giving nectar thus churned, also manifested Lakshmi as a beautiful woman. Knowing her to be a grate devotee of God, the Devas hurry to give her their respect, worship her and chant prayers, while the Asuras quarreled over the nectar, pursuing eternal life. They also were envy of the Devas and their relations with Lakshmi. In the end, the Devas got the nectar as well while the asuras did not get anything. (You can read the full story in Shrimad Bhagvatam kanto 8)

Some believe that in order to advance spiritually one must renounce the world completely. It is, in fact, not true. The world and the forces of nature are, in fact, the lords energy. All the Devas represent a certain power of nature and those are grate servants of the lord. Lakshmi represents the power of wealth and fortune. It is not renunciation from it that the yogi should seek, but detachment. When a person is attached to a certain thing of the world, such as wealth of pleasure of the senses, it is materialism. It is worshiping a Deva as a separate "God". But a Vaishnava worships Bhagavan, the supreme personality. God. And thuse he worships the Devas as his servants and all living things as his children. And thus love of God becomes love of all.

"In human society there are various activities performed for the protection of one's wealth and life by one's words, one's mind and one's actions, but they are all performed for one's personal or extended sense gratification with reference to the body. All these activities are baffled because of being separate from devotional service. But when the same activities are performed for the satisfaction of the Lord, the beneficial results are distributed to everyone, just as water poured on the root of a tree is distributed throughout the entire tree."

(Srimad-Bhagvatam 9.8.9)