Devanagari
एवमैश्वर्यमत्तस्य दृप्तस्योच्छास्त्रवर्तिन: ।
कालो महान् व्यतीयाय ब्रह्मशापमुपेयुष: ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
evam aiśvarya-mattasya
dṛptasyocchāstra-vartinaḥ
kālo mahān vyatīyāya
brahma-śāpam upeyuṣaḥ
Synonyms
evam
—
thus
;
aiśvarya
—
mattasya — of one who was intoxicated by opulences
;
dṛptasya
—
greatly proud
;
ut
—
śāstra — vartinaḥ — transgressing the regulative principles mentioned in the śāstras
;
kālaḥ
—
duration of time
;
mahān
—
a great
;
vyatīyāya
—
passed
;
brahma
—
śāpam — a curse by exalted brāhmaṇas
;
upeyuṣaḥ
—
having obtained .
Translation
Hiraṇyakaśipu thus passed a long time being very much proud of his opulences and transgressing the laws and regulations mentioned in the authoritative śāstras. He was therefore subjected to a curse by the four Kumāras, who were great brāhmaṇas.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
Proud of his wealth and transgressing the rules of the scriptures, Hiraṇyakaśipu, subjected to the Kumāras’ curse, thus passed a long time.
Purport
There have been many instances in which demons, after achieving material opulences, have become extremely proud, so much so that they have transgressed the laws and regulations given in the authoritative
śāstras.
Hiraṇyakaśipu acted in this way. As stated in
Bhagavad-gītā
(16.23)
:
yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya
vartate kāma-kārataḥ
na sa siddhim avāpnoti
na sukhaṁ na parāṁ gatim
“He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.” The word
śāstra
refers to that which controls our activities. We cannot violate or transgress the laws and regulative principles mentioned in the
śāstras.
Bhagavad-gītā
repeatedly confirms this.
tasmāc chāstraṁ pramāṇaṁ te
kāryākārya-vyavasthitau
jṣātvā śāstra-vidhānoktaṁ
karma kartum ihārhasi
“One should understand what is duty and what is not duty by the regulations of the scriptures. Knowing such rules and regulations, one should act so that he may gradually be elevated.” (
Bg. 16.24
) One should act according to the direction of the
śāstra,
but the material energy is so powerful that as soon as one becomes materially opulent, he begins to transgress the śāstric laws. As soon as one transgresses the laws of
śāstra,
he immediately enters upon the path of destruction.