Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 6.15.21-23

adhunā putrinām tāpo

bhavataivānubhūyate

evam dārā grihā rāyo

vividhaiśvarya-sampadah

śabdādayaś ca vishayāś

calā rājya-vibhūtayah

mahī rājyam balam kosho

bhrityāmātya-suhrij-janāh

sarve 'pi śūraseneme

śoka-moha-bhayārtidāh

gandharva-nagara-prakhyāh

svapna-māyā-manorathāh

SYNONYMS

adhunā — at the present moment; putrinām — of persons who have children; tāpah — the tribulation; bhavatā — by you; eva — indeed; anubhūyate — is experienced; evam — in this way; dārāh — good wife; grihāh — residence; rāyah — riches; vividha — various; aiśvarya — opulences; sampadah — prosperities; śabda-ādayah — sound and so on; ca — and; vishayāh — the objects of sense gratification; calāh — temporary; rājya — of the kingdom; vibhūtayah — opulences; mahī — land; rājyam — kingdom; balam — strength; koshah — treasury; bhritya — servants; amātya — ministers; suhrit-janāh — allies; sarve — all; api — indeed; śūrasena — O King of Śūrasena; ime — these; śoka — of lamentation; moha — of illusion; bhaya — of fear; arti — and distress; dāh — givers; gandharva-nagara-prakhyāh — headed by the illusory sight of a gandharva-nagara, a big palace within the forest; svapna — dreams; māyā — illusions; manorathāh — 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.

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-kalatrādishu). 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 he 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. Ańgirā Rishi and Nārada Muni gave this instruction to Mahārāja Citraketu.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness