Once, Lord Narayana said to Goddess Lakshmi,

Once, Lord Narayana said to Goddess Lakshmi, "Devotion among people has increased so much; everyone keeps chanting 'Narayana Narayana'!" Lakshmi Devi replied, "It's not for you, but for me that their devotion has increased!" Lord Narayana said, "But people don't chant 'Lakshmi Lakshmi', do they?" To this, Goddess Lakshmi responded, "If you don't believe me, then let's test it!" Lord Narayana took the form of a Brahmin and went to a village. He knocked on the door of a house. The owner opened it and asked, "Where are you from?" Lord Narayana said, "I want to conduct a religious discourse about the divine here in your village." The owner replied, "Alright, Maharaj, you can stay at my place for as long as the discourse continues." A few villagers gathered, and all the arrangements were made. On the first day, some people came to listen. Since it was Lord Narayana himself giving the discourse, more people started attending. By the second and third day, the crowd grew even larger. Lord Narayana was pleased, thinking, "Look how devoted people are!" Goddess Lakshmi thought it was time to see what was actually happening. She took the form of an elderly woman and entered the village. One woman was locking her door to attend the discourse when the elderly woman (Lakshmi in disguise) approached her and asked, "Dear, could you give me some water?" The woman replied, "It's 3:30 PM, and I need to go to the discourse!" Goddess Lakshmi said, "Please, give me a little water; I'm very thirsty." The woman brought a pitcher of water. When the old woman drank the water and returned the pitcher, it had turned into gold! The woman was astonished; she had handed over a steel pitcher, but now it was golden! She realized that the old lady must be miraculous. Now, the woman, with folded hands, said, "Mother, you must be hungry too. Please have some food!" She thought that if the woman ate, her plate, bowl, spoon, and glass would also turn into gold. Goddess Lakshmi replied, "You go, dear. It's time for your discourse." The woman went to the gathering but shared what had happened with other women. Hearing this, many women left the ongoing discourse. The next day, the number of people attending the discourse decreased. Lord Narayana asked, "Why has the crowd reduced?" Someone replied, "A miraculous old lady has come to the village. Wherever she drinks milk, the glass turns into gold. If she eats from a plate, it also turns into gold! Because of this, people are not attending the discourse." Lord Narayana understood that Lakshmi Devi had arrived! As soon as he heard this, even the host decided to leave and went straight to Goddess Lakshmi. He said, "Mother, I was organizing the discourse for the Lord, and you didn't even visit my house!" Lakshmi Devi replied, "I was going to visit your house first! But how can I come when the storyteller (Lord Narayana) is there? He must leave first for me to arrive!" The host said, "Is that all? I will arrange a room for him at the community center right away." The host went back to Lord Narayana, who was disguised as the storyteller, and said, "Maharaj, please pack your things. We've arranged your accommodation at the community center." Lord Narayana said, "There are still 2-3 days left of the discourse. Let me stay here." The host replied, "No, no, please leave quickly! I have to accommodate another guest." Just then, Goddess Lakshmi appeared and said, "Host, please step outside. Let me deal with this!" Goddess Lakshmi then turned to Lord Narayana and said, "Lord, do you agree now?" Lord Narayana smiled and said, "Yes, Lakshmi, your influence is indeed strong. But you must also accept that you only arrived here because I, in the form of a saint, came first. Wherever a saint holds a discourse, you will surely reside there." Saying this, Lord Narayana bid farewell and returned to Vaikuntha. After the Lord left, the next day, a crowd gathered at the host's house. Everyone wanted the miraculous old woman to visit their homes one by one. But what happened next? Goddess Lakshmi told the host and the villagers, "Now I am also leaving." Everyone asked, "Why, Mother? Did we make a mistake?" Goddess Lakshmi replied, "I only reside where Narayana is present. You have driven Narayana away, so how can I stay?" And then she left.