श्रीशुक उवाच
अम्बरीषो महाभागः सप्तद्वीपवतीं महीम् ।
अव्ययां च श्रियं लब्ध्वा विभवं चातुलं भुवि ॥१५॥
मेनेऽतिदुर्लभं पुंसां सर्वं तत् स्वप्नसंस्तुतम् ।
विद्वान् विभवनिर्वाणं तमो विशति यत् पुमान् ॥१६॥

śrī-śuka uvāca
ambarīṣo mahā-bhāgaḥ
sapta-dvīpavatīṁ mahīm
avyayāṁ ca śriyaṁ labdhvā
vibhavaṁ cātulaṁ bhuvi
mene 'tidurlabhaṁ puṁsāṁ
sarvaṁ tat svapna-saṁstutam
vidvān vibhava-nirvāṇaṁ
tamo viśati yat pumān

 śrī-śukaḥ uvāca - Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; ambarīṣaḥ - King Ambarīṣa; mahā-bhāgaḥ - the greatly fortunate king; sapta-dvīpavatīm - consisting of seven islands; mahīm - the whole world; avyayām ca - and inexhaustible; śriyam - beauty; labdhvā - after achieving; vibhavam ca - and opulences; atulam - unlimited; bhuvi - in this earth; mene - he decided; ati-durlabham - which is rarely obtained; puṁsām - of many persons; sarvam - everything (he had obtained); tat - that which; svapna-saṁstutam - as if imagined in a dream; vidvān - completely understanding; vibhava-nirvāṇam - the annihilation of that opulence; tamaḥ - ignorance; viśati - fallen into; yat - because of which; pumān - a person.


Text

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the most fortunate personality, achieved the rule of the entire world, consisting of seven islands, and achieved inexhaustible, unlimited opulence and prosperity on earth. Although such a position is rarely obtained, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa did not care for it at all, for he knew very well that all such opulence is material. Like that which is imagined in a dream, such opulence will ultimately be destroyed. The King knew that any nondevotee who attains such opulence merges increasingly into material nature’s mode of darkness.

Purport

For a devotee material opulence is insignificant, whereas for a nondevotee material opulence is the cause of increasing bondage, for a devotee knows that anything material is temporary, whereas a nondevotee regards the temporary so-called happiness as everything and forgets the path of self-realization. Thus for the nondevotee material opulence is a disqualification for spiritual advancement.