Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.70.28
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
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svapnāyitam
—
merely dreamlike
Svapnāyita — like a dream. The technical Bhāgavata term for saṁsāra-sukha: it has the appearance of substance but no abiding reality. The kings finally see what they could not see before imprisonment.
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para-tantram
—
dependent (on something else)
Their happiness is para-tantra — under another's control (specifically Jarāsandha's, but more deeply, māyā's). True happiness is sva-tantra, which is only in bhakti to Bhagavān.
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tvat-anīha labhyam
—
to be obtained by selfless work done for You
Anīha — without selfish craving. Niṣkāma-karma-yoga (BG 2.47-48, 3.9) is the Gauḍīya doorway: work performed for Bhagavān, without personal claim, becomes the road to ātmani sukham — happiness within the self.
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kṛpaṇāḥ
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wretched, miserly
Kṛpaṇa is the SB's term (cf. 7.6.10) for one who fails to use the rare human birth for bhakti. The kings confess themselves as kṛpaṇa — the first step in becoming udāra (generous-hearted, devoted).
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māyayā
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by the illusory energy
Bhagavān's own deluding potency. The kings recognize that their suffering is not random — it is His māyā operating on them, and so the remedy is Him. The metaphysics points the way out.
After expressing their doubts in the previous verse, the kings herein admit that actually they are suffering because of their own foolishness, having given up the eternal happiness of the soul in exchange for the temporary, conditional happiness of a so-called kingly position. Most people make a similar mistake, desiring wealth, power, prestige, aristocratic family and so on, in exchange for their own soul. The kings admit that they have fallen under the spell of the Lord’s illusory energy and have mistaken the tremendous anxiety of political leadership for happiness.
"Then are you my devotees or my enemies?" "We are not either. We are jivas engulfed in the material world who have surrendered to you." That is the import of this verse. Our happiness, thinking ourselves kings, dependent on ministers, friends and troops, is temporary like a dream. Actually, we are carrying a great burden from intense endeavors at alliance and war, with our corpse like bodies filled with constant fear. It is unfortunate that we did not previously become desireless and take shelter of you. We gave up that happiness which is famous because of the praises of the saintly persons, not condemned by them like our kingly happiness, which is yourself, not dependent on others, coming from you alone, not from gross material objects, obtained by your selfless devotees (aniha labhya), not by those full of lust. Therefore we suffer.
Even today we have not completely given up māyā. Having lost our intelligence (ati-kṛpaṇāḥ) by your māyā, we suffer, because we carry the burden of this body which is like an unconscious corpse. Not only do we suffer by carrying this corpse, but we suffer by constant fear of sickness and time, which are like ghosts and spirits haunting us. “Why do you carry this burden?” It gives happiness of a king. We do not reject that burden even now because we want to attain the position of a king. This is to be condemned. And this happiness is not real since it is like a dream, not substantial. And it is filled with misery. Having a kingdom is dependent on many factors. That would be alright if there was no other great happiness that could be attained. We have given up the highest happiness which is testified in all the scriptures. This happiness is not dependent on other things since it manifests on its own within the ātmā. It can be attained from you by your devotees.
Our happiness is like a dream, temporary and illusory. It is without happiness. The body by which we try to enjoy ends up giving suffering with constant sickness. We carry our burden with constant fear, from sickness etc. (śaśvat bhayena), ascertaining death, detestable like death. In either case there is suffering in living. O Lord! We belong to you. Giving up the happiness which is attained by your mercy, the happiness of realizing you in truth, or meditating on you, we suffer in saṁsāra (iha). We experience plenty of suffering because we have become most foolish (ati-kṛpaṇāḥ) by your insurmountable māyā. Or we carry the burden of happiness of enjoying as kings. We have given up the indescribable happiness in the heart or our svarūpa, derived from your lotus feet and suffer in this world, which is ornamented by your appearance. Or not only from Jarāsandha, but by your māyā we always suffering. Or do we make Jarāsandha suffer through our suffering? We always suffer because of our faults.
- What 'kingly position' in my life looks substantial but is really a dream?
- Where am I trading the soul's joy for a more familiar but smaller one?
The kings carry their royal happiness like men hauling a corpse — the body of pleasure has long died, and yet they cannot put it down. Bhakti is the only knife sharp enough to cut the rope, and they finally name themselves as kṛpaṇa — wretchedly attached.
In SB 5.7-14, Bharata Mahārāja, a great king and yogī, became so attached to a baby deer that he forgot his sādhana and was reborn as a deer himself. Even royal happiness, even sannyāsa, can be undone by misplaced affection.
The imprisoned kings here see the same trap in themselves: nṛpa-sukham — kingly happiness — is svapnāyita (dreamlike), and they have been carrying that dream-corpse for lifetimes. Bharata's story is the warning the verse implicitly cites.
My note
Source: vedabase.io