SB 6.15.21 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

अधुना पुत्रिणां तापो भवतैवानुभूयते । एवं दारा गृहा रायो विविधैश्वर्यसम्पद: ॥ २१ ॥ शब्दादयश्च विषयाश्चला राज्यविभूतय: । मही राज्यं बलं कोषो भृत्यामात्यसुहृज्जना: ॥ २२ ॥ सर्वेऽपि शूरसेनेमे शोकमोहभयार्तिदा: । गन्धर्वनगरप्रख्या: स्वप्नमायामनोरथा: ॥ २३ ॥

Verse text

adhunā putriṇāṁ tāpo bhavataivānubhūyate evaṁ dārā gṛhā rāyo vividhaiśvarya-sampadaḥ śabdādayaś ca viṣayāś calā rājya-vibhūtayaḥ mahī rājyaṁ balaṁ koṣo bhṛtyāmātya-suhṛj-janāḥ sarve ’pi śūraseneme śoka-moha-bhayārtidāḥ gandharva-nagara-prakhyāḥ svapna-māyā-manorathāḥ

Synonyms

adhunā — at the present moment ; putriṇām — of persons who have children ; tāpaḥ — the tribulation ; bhavatā — by you ; eva — indeed ; anubhūyate — is experienced ; evam — in this way ; dārāḥ — good wife ; gṛhāḥ — residence ; rāyaḥ — riches ; vividha — various ; aiśvarya — opulences ; sampadaḥ — prosperities ; śabda — ādayaḥ — sound and so on ; ca — and ; viṣayāḥ — the objects of sense gratification ; calāḥ — temporary ; rājya — of the kingdom ; vibhūtayaḥ — opulences ; mahī — land ; rājyam — kingdom ; balam — strength ; koṣaḥ — treasury ; bhṛtya — servants ; amātya — ministers ; suhṛt — janāḥ — allies ; sarve — all ; api — indeed ; śūrasena — O King of Śūrasena ; ime — these ; śoka — of lamentation ; moha — of illusion ; bhaya — of fear ; arti — and distress ; dāḥ — givers ; gandharva — nagara — prakhyāḥ — headed by the illusory sight of a gandharva-nagara, a big palace within the forest ; svapna — dreams ; māyā — illusions ; manorathāḥ — and concoctions of the mind .

Translation

My dear King, now you are actually experiencing the misery of a person who has sons and daughters. O King, owner of the state of Śūrasena, one’s wife, his house, the opulence of his kingdom, and his various other opulences and objects of sense perception are all the same in that they are temporary. One’s kingdom, military power, treasury, servants, ministers, friends and relatives are all causes of fear, illusion, lamentation and distress. They are like a gandharva-nagara, a nonexistent palace that one imagines to exist in the forest. Because they are impermanent, they are no better than illusions, dreams and mental concoctions.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Now you are experiencing the pains of a parent. O King! Your wife, house, the wealth of a kingdom, various other opulences, the objects of the senses, and the powers of ruling are all temporary. Land, kingdom, military power, treasury, servants, ministers, friends and relatives are all causes of fear, illusion, lamentation and distress. They are false, like a Gandharva city, like the objects of a dream, a magic show or imagination. It has been said that wife and other objects, because of being temporary, are not real, and because of appearing and disappearing, are cause of suffering. Besides these things, other things also, which are causes of lamentation, illusion, fear and pain, are false. One perceives that dream objects are false when waking from a dream. Objects which appear through dreams, magic or imagination are false like a Gandharva city.

Purport

This verse describes the entanglement of material existence. In material existence, the living entity possesses many things — the material body, children, wife and so on ( dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu ). One may think that these will give him protection, but that is impossible. In spite of all these possessions, the spirit soul has to give up his present situation and accept another. The next situation may be unfavorable, but even if it is favorable, one must give it up and again accept another body. In this way, one’s tribulation in material existence continues. A sane man should be perfectly aware that these things will never be able to give him happiness. One must be situated in his spiritual identity and eternally serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a devotee. Aṅgirā Ṛṣi and Nārada Muni gave this instruction to Mahārāja Citraketu.