विगतजीवलक्षण आस्ते ॥१६॥
kvacit kÄla-viá¹£a-mita-rÄja-kula-raká¹£asÄpahá¹›ta-priyatama-dhanÄsuḥ pramá¹›taka iva vigata-jÄ«va-laká¹£aṇa Äste
kvacit - sometimes; kÄla-viá¹£a-mita - made crooked by time; rÄja-kula - the government men; raká¹£asÄ - by those who are like carnivorous human beings; apahá¹›ta - being plundered; priya-tama - most dear; dhana - in the form of wealth; asuḥ - whose life air; pramá¹›takaḥ - dead; iva - like; vigata-jÄ«va-laká¹£aṇaḥ - bereft of all signs of life; Äste - he remains.
Government men are always like carnivorous demons called RÄká¹£asas [man-eaters]. Sometimes these government men turn against the conditioned soul and take away all his accumulated wealth. Being bereft of his life’s reserved wealth, the conditioned soul loses all enthusiasm. Indeed, it is as though he loses his life.
The word rÄja-kula-raká¹£asÄ is very significant. ÅšrÄ«mad-BhÄgavatam was compiled about five thousand years ago, yet government men are referred to as RÄká¹£asas, or carnivorous demons. If government men are opposed to a person, that person will be bereft of all his riches, which he has accumulated with great care over a long period of time. Actually no one wants to pay income taxes — even government men themselves try to avoid these taxes — but at unfavorable times income taxes are exacted forcibly, and the taxpayers become very morose.
