SB 9.4.16 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

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 ॥

Verse text

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

Synonyms

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.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the most fortunate personality, achieved sovereignty over the entire world, consisting of seven islands, with inexhaustible, unequaled wealth and power on earth, rarely attained by humans. But understanding that the power was destructible, he considered it all to be as worthless as a dream, because of which man falls into ignorance. Having attained power rare for humans, he considered it all as if it were something to be praised only in a dream, because he knew that power was destructible. From attachment to that power and wealth man falls into ignorance.

Purport

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.