SB 5.13.3 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

प्रभूतवीरुत्तृणगुल्मगह्वरे कठोरदंशैर्मशकैरुपद्रुत: । क्‍वचित्तु गन्धर्वपुरं प्रपश्यति क्‍वचित्‍क्‍वचिच्चाशुरयोल्मुकग्रहम् ॥ ३ ॥

Verse text

prabhūta-vīrut-tṛṇa-gulma-gahvare kaṭhora-daṁśair maśakair upadrutaḥ kvacit tu gandharva-puraṁ prapaśyati kvacit kvacic cāśu-rayolmuka-graham

Synonyms

prabhūta — a very large number ; vīrut — of creepers ; tṛṇa — of varieties of grass ; gulma — of thickets ; gahvare — in bowers ; kaṭhora — cruel ; daṁśaiḥ — by bites ; maśakaiḥ — by mosquitoes ; upadrutaḥ — disturbed ; kvacit — sometimes ; tu — but ; gandharva — puram — a false palace created by the Gandharvas ; prapaśyati — be sees ; kvacit — and sometimes ; kvacit — sometimes ; ca — and ; āśu — raya — very quickly ; ulmuka — like a meteor ; graham — a fiend .

Translation

In this forest there are dense bowers composed of thickets of bushes, grass and creepers. In these bowers the conditioned soul is always disturbed by cruelly biting mosquitoes [envious people]. Sometimes he sees an imaginary palace in the forest, and sometimes he is bewildered by seeing a fleeting fiend or ghost, which appears like a meteor in the sky.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Afflicted by mosquitoes with harsh biting in dense bowers of shrubs, grass and vines, he sometimes sees a city in the sky, and sometimes sees ghosts moving quickly in the sky like firebrands. In his house, like a bower, abundant in material actions like dense shrubs, he is disturbed by evil men who are like mosquitoes. The body and house are temporary like the city in the sky. He sees the city in the sky as if were real and permanent (prapaśyati). Sometimes he sees piśācas who take the form of firebrands and move quickly in the sky. This refers to seeing gold which he regards as valuable.

Purport

The material household is actually a hole of fruitive activity. To earn a livelihood one engages in different industries and trades, and sometimes one performs great sacrifices to go to higher planetary systems. Apart from this, at least everyone is engaged in earning a livelihood in some profession or occupation. In these dealings, one has to meet many undesirable people, and their behavior is compared to the biting of mosquitoes. This creates very undesirable conditions. Even in the midst of these disturbances, one imagines that he is going to construct a grand house and live there permanently, although he knows that he cannot. Gold is compared to a quickly fleeting fiend, which appears like a meteor in the sky. It displays itself for a moment and is then gone. Generally karmīs are attracted to gold or money, but these are compared herein to ghosts and witches.