Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 4.27.18

sa eva puryāḿ madhu-bhuk

pañcāleṣu sva-pārṣadaiḥ

upanītaḿ baliḿ gṛhṇan

strī-jito nāvidad bhayam

SYNONYMS

saḥ — he; eva — certainly; puryām — within the city; madhu-bhuk — enjoying sex life; pañcāleṣu — in the kingdom of Pañcāla (five sense objects); sva-pārṣadaiḥ — along with his followers; upanītam — brought; balim — taxes; gṛhṇan — accepting; strī-jitaḥ — conquered by women; na — did not; avidat — understand; bhayam — fear of death.

TRANSLATION

King Purañjana collected taxes in the city known as Pañcāla and thus was able to engage in sexual indulgence. Being completely under the control of women, he could not understand that his life was passing away and that he was reaching the point of death.

PURPORT

Government men — including kings, presidents, secretaries and ministers — are in a position to utilize taxes collected from the citizens for sense gratification. It is stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that in this Kali-yuga government men (rājanyas) and those connected with the government, as well as exalted government ministers, secretaries and presidents, will all simply collect taxes for sense gratification. The government is top-heavy, and without increasing taxes the government cannot maintain itself. When taxes are collected they are utilized for the sense gratification of the government officials. Such irresponsible politicians forget that there is a time when death will come to take away all their sense gratification. Some of them are convinced that after life everything is finished. This atheistic theory was conceived long ago by a philosopher called Cārvāka. Cārvāka recommended that man should live very opulently by either begging, borrowing or stealing. He also maintained that one should not be afraid of death, the next life, the past life or an impious life because after the body is burnt to ashes, everything is finished. This is the philosophy of those who are too much materially addicted. Such philosophizing will not save one from the danger of death, nor will it save one from an abominable afterlife.

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