Devanagari
पुष्णाति यानधर्मेण स्वबुद्ध्या तमपण्डितम् ।
तेऽकृतार्थं प्रहिण्वन्ति प्राणा राय: सुतादय: ॥ २३ ॥
Verse text
puṣṇāti yān adharmeṇa
sva-buddhyā tam apaṇḍitam
te ’kṛtārthaṁ prahiṇvanti
prāṇā rāyaḥ sutādayaḥ
Synonyms
puṣṇāti
—
nourishes
;
yān
—
which things
;
adharmeṇa
—
by sinful activity
;
sva
—
buddhyā — thinking them to be his own
;
tam
—
him
;
apaṇḍitam
—
uneducated
;
te
—
they
;
akṛta
—
artham — his purposes frustrated
;
prahiṇvanti
—
abandon
;
prāṇāḥ
—
life air
;
rāyaḥ
—
wealth
;
suta
—
ādayaḥ — children and others .
Translation
A fool indulges in sin to maintain his life, wealth and children and other relatives, for he thinks, “These things are mine.” In the end, however, these very things all abandon him, leaving him frustrated.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
A fool indulges in sin to maintain his life, wealth and children and other relatives, for he thinks, "These things are mine." In the end, however, these very things all abandon him, leaving him frustrated.
KB 10.49.23
One ultimately cannot accumulate wealth illegally for the gratification of his family, society, community or nation. An illustration of this principle is that many great empires which developed in the past are no longer existing because their wealth was squandered away by later descendants.
Purport
In these verses, Akrūra is giving rather frank advice to Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Those who know the story of the
Mahābhārata
will realize how relevant and prophetic these instructions are, and how much Dhṛtarāṣṭra suffered for not accepting them. Although one tenaciously clings to his property, in the end all is lost, and the blundering soul is swept away by the wheel of birth and death.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
"Life, wealth (rayah) and sons, which the fool maintains by sinful actions, thinking that they are his, abandon that fool who had not attained his desires."
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
He tries to increase life, wealth and sons, but cannot do so. They leave him.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
In order to maintain his life he does not follow the rules and prohibitions. Therefore he is a fool. Life, wealth and relatives, as well as friends and servants (ādayaḥ) reject him. The list is in order to increasing importance for non-rejection. Life rejects him when he dies. Though living, wealth leaves him and conscious beings like children. They give him up without regard for dharma.