Canto 9, Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Verse 16 (SB 9.4.15-16)
SB 9.4.15-16 • मूल श्लोक

श्रीशुक उवाच अम्बरीषो महाभाग: सप्तद्वीपवतीं महीम् । अव्ययां च श्रियं लब्ध्वा विभवं चातुलं भुवि ॥ १५ ॥ मेनेऽतिदुर्लभं पुंसां सर्वं तत् स्वप्नसंस्तुतम् । विद्वान् विभवनिर्वाणं तमो विशति यत् पुमान् ॥ १६ ॥

Transliteration

śrī-śuka uvāca ambarīṣo mahā-bhāgaḥ sapta-dvīpavatīṁ mahīm avyayāṁ ca śriyaṁ labdhvā vibhavaṁ cātulaṁ bhuvimene ’tidurlabhaṁ puṁsāṁ sarvaṁ tat svapna-saṁstutam vidvān vibhava-nirvāṇaṁ tamo viśati yat pumān

Synonyms (Word-for-Word)

śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; ambarīṣaḥ — King Ambarīṣa; mahā-bhāgaḥ — the greatly fortunate king; sapta-dvīpavatīm — consisting of seven islands; mahīm — the whole world; avyayām ca — and inexhaustible; śriyam — beauty; labdhvā — after achieving; vibhavam ca — and opulences; atulam — unlimited; bhuvi — in this earth; mene — he decided; ati-durlabham — which is rarely obtained; puṁsām — of many persons; sarvam — everything (he had obtained); tat — that which; svapna-saṁstutam — as if imagined in a dream; vidvān — completely understanding; vibhava-nirvāṇam — the annihilation of that opulence; tamaḥ — ignorance; viśati — fallen into; yat — because of which; pumān — a person.

Translation

“Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the most fortunate personality, achieved the rule of the entire world, consisting of seven islands, and achieved inexhaustible, unlimited opulence and prosperity on earth. Although such a position is rarely obtained, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa did not care for it at all, for he knew very well that all such opulence is material. Like that which is imagined in a dream, such opulence will ultimately be destroyed. The King knew that any nondevotee who attains such opulence merges increasingly into material nature’s mode of darkness.”

Bhaktivedanta Purport

By Śrīla Prabhupāda
For a devotee material opulence is insignificant, whereas for a nondevotee material opulence is the cause of increasing bondage, for a devotee knows that anything material is temporary, whereas a nondevotee regards the temporary so-called happiness as everything and forgets the path of self-realization. Thus for the nondevotee material opulence is a disqualification for spiritual advancement.