भौमं दिव्यं मानुषं च महित्वं कर्मयोगजम् ।
यश्चक्रे निरयौपम्यं पुरुषानुजनप्रियः ॥४१॥

bhaumaá¹ divyaá¹ mÄnuá¹£aá¹ ca
mahitvaá¹ karma-yogajam
yaÅ› cakre nirayaupamyaá¹
puruá¹£Änujana-priyaḥ

 bhaumam - of the lower planets; divyam - heavenly; mÄnuá¹£am - of human beings; ca - also; mahitvam - all opulences; karma - by fruitive activities; yoga - by mystic power; jam - born; yaḥ - one who; cakre - did; niraya - with hell; aupamyam - comparison or equality; puruá¹£a - of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; anujana - to the devotee; priyaḥ - most dear.


Text

“As a great follower and devotee of the sage NÄrada, MahÄrÄja Priyavrata considered hellish the opulences he had achieved by dint of fruitive activities and mystic power, whether in the lower or heavenly planetary systems or in human society.â€

Purport

ÅšrÄ«la RÅ«pa GosvÄmÄ« has said that the position of a devotee is so superexcellent that a devotee does not consider any material opulence worth having. There are different types of opulences on earth, in the heavenly planets and even in the lower planetary system, known as PÄtÄla. A devotee, however, knows that they are all material, and consequently he is not at all interested in them. As stated in Bhagavad-gÄ«tÄ, paraá¹ dṛṣṭvÄ nivartate. Sometimes yogÄ«s and jñÄnÄ«s voluntarily give up all material opulences to practice their system of liberation and taste spiritual bliss. However, they frequently fall down because artificial renunciation of material opulences cannot endure. One must have a superior taste in spiritual life; then he can give up material opulence. MahÄrÄja Priyavrata had already tasted spiritual bliss, and therefore he had no interest in any of the material achievements available in the lower, higher or middle planetary systems.

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to the Fifth Canto, First Chapter, of ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam, entitled “The Activities of MahÄrÄja Priyavrata.â€