Devanagari
कामस्यान्तं हि क्षुत्तृड्भ्यां क्रोधस्यैतत्फलोदयात् ।
जनो याति न लोभस्य जित्वा भुक्त्वा दिशो भुव: ॥ २० ॥
Verse text
kāmasyāntaṁ hi kṣut-tṛḍbhyāṁ
krodhasyaitat phalodayāt
jano yāti na lobhasya
jitvā bhuktvā diśo bhuvaḥ
Synonyms
kāmasya
—
of the desire for sense gratification or the urgent needs of the body
;
antam
—
end
;
hi
—
indeed
;
kṣut
—
tṛḍbhyām — by one who is very hungry or thirsty
;
krodhasya
—
of anger
;
etat
—
this
;
phala
—
udayāt — by venting chastisement and its reaction
;
janaḥ
—
a person
;
yāti
—
crosses over
;
na
—
not
;
lobhasya
—
greed
;
jitvā
—
conquering
;
bhuktvā
—
enjoying
;
diśaḥ
—
all directions
;
bhuvaḥ
—
of the globe .
Translation
The strong bodily desires and needs of a person disturbed by hunger and thirst are certainly satisfied when he eats. Similarly, if one becomes very angry, that anger is satisfied by chastisement and its reaction. But as for greed, even if a greedy person has conquered all the directions of the world or has enjoyed everything in the world, still he will not be satisfied.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
One can stop lust by becoming hungry and thirsty. One can stop anger by inflicting violence on the object of anger. But one cannot stop greed by conquering all directions and enjoying the whole earth.
Dissatisfaction arises from greed. Because greed is difficult to conquer, dissatisfaction is hard to remove. This is explained in two verses. When one is hungry and thirsty from not eating, because of the action of burning dhātus, one can stop lust. Anger is stopped by violence (phalodayāt). One cannot stop greed, composed of desires, though one conquers the directions or enjoys the earth. Greed for food however is stopped by filling the belly. Because it is not difficult to stop, it is not mentioned here separately.
Purport
In
Bhagavad-gītā
(3.37)
it is stated that lust, anger and greed are the causes of the conditioned soul’s bondage in this material world.
Kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ
. When strong lusty desires for sense gratification are unfulfilled, one becomes angry. This anger can be satisfied when one chastises his enemy, but when there is an increase in
lobha,
or greed, which is the greatest enemy caused by
rajo-guṇa,
the mode of passion, how can one advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?
If one is very greedy to enhance his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this is a great boon.
Tatra laulyam ekalaṁ mūlam
. This is the best path available.