20 January 2016 - QA 4

It is said that to find Narayana one needs infinite patience. Then why is Lakshmi regarded as Chanchal or fleeting.
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:

Just understand what Chanchal means. Chal means what? Movement. Chanchal means one which moves very fast. If you don’t have to go to the market and spend any money, then why do you have to go to the bank to get the money? It does not make sense. If you have money, what for do you have money? It is not worth anything if you are not spending it. Wealth is circulation. If you have a pot of grains, you have to sow them back in the soil to get more grains. If you just keep them for too long, they will decay. So wealth grows and wealth is sustained when there is movement. In ancient times the people knew this secret and that is why they say Lakshmi is Chanchal.

Narayana is always there. The word nerves or nervous systems comes from Narayana. Nara means nerves. Narayana means the consciousness which is housed in the nervous system. If it is not there, you would not even have been able to ask this question that you are asking, or understand anything. So you are Narayana, and for you to sustain yourself, you need means, and means have to keep moving, and that is what Lakshmi means.