FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 4.24.66

ప్రమత్తముచ్చైరితి కృత్యచిన్తయా ప్రవృద్ధలోభం విషయేషు లాలసమ్ । త్వమప్రమత్త: సహసాభిపద్యసే క్షుల్లేలిహానోఽహిరివాఖుమన్తక: ॥ ౬౬ ॥
pramattam uccair iti kṛtya-cintayā
[pramattam uchchair iti kritya-chintayaa]
pravṛddha-lobhaṁ viṣayeṣu lālasam
[pravriddha-lobham vishayeshu laalasam]
tvam apramattaḥ sahasābhipadyase
[tvam apramattah sahasaabhipadyase]
kṣul-lelihāno ’hir ivākhum antakaḥ
[kshul-lelihaano ’hir ivaakhum antakah]
pramattam — persons who are mad uccaiḥ — loudly iti — thus kṛtya — to be done cintayā — by such desire pravṛddha — very much advanced lobham — greed viṣayeṣu — in material enjoyment lālasam — so desiring tvam — Your Lordship apramattaḥ — completely in transcendence sahasā — all of a sudden abhipadyase — seizes them kṣut — hungry lelihānaḥ — by the greedy tongue ahiḥ — snake iva — like ākhum — mouse antakaḥ — destroyer.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
pramattam uccair iti kṛtya-cintayā
pramattam
persons who are mad
uccaiḥ
loudly
iti
thus
kṛtya
to be done
cintayā
by such desire
pravṛddha-lobhaṁ viṣayeṣu lālasam
pravṛddha
very much advanced
lobham
greed
viṣayeṣu
in material enjoyment
lālasam
so desiring
tvam apramattaḥ sahasābhipadyase
tvam
Your Lordship
apramattaḥ
completely in transcendence
sahasā
all of a sudden
abhipadyase
seizes them
kṣul-lelihāno ’hir ivākhum antakaḥ
kṣut
hungry
lelihānaḥ
by the greedy tongue
ahiḥ
snake
iva
like
ākhum
mouse
antakaḥ
destroyer.
My dear Lord, all living entities within this material world are mad after planning for things, and they are always busy with a desire to do this or that. This is due to uncontrollable greed. The greed for material enjoyment is always existing in the living entity, but Your Lordship is always alert, and in due course of time You strike him, just as a snake seizes a mouse and very easily swallows him.

Everyone is greedy, and everyone makes plans for material enjoyment. In his lust for material enjoyment, the living entity is described as a madman. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (3.27) :

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā kartāham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities which are in actuality carried out by nature.”

Everything is enacted by the laws of nature, and these laws are under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The atheists, or unintelligent men, do not know this. They are busy making their own plans, and big nations are busy expanding their empires. And yet we know that in due course of time many empires have come into existence and been destroyed. Many aristocratic families were created by people in their extreme madness, but we can see that in the course of time those families and empires have all been destroyed. But still the foolish atheists do not accept the supreme authority of the Lord. Such foolish people unnecessarily concoct their own duties without referring to the supreme authority of the Lord. The so-called political leaders are busy making plans to advance the material prosperity of their nation, but factually these political leaders only want an exalted position for themselves. Due to their greed for material position, they falsely present themselves as leaders before the people and collect their votes, although they are completely under the grip of the laws of material nature. These are some of the faults of modern civilization. Without taking to God consciousness and accepting the authority of the Lord, the living entities become ultimately confused and frustrated in their planmaking attempts. Due to their unauthorized plans for economic development, the price of commodities is rising daily all over the world, so much so that is has become difficult for the poorer classes, and they are suffering the consequences. And due to lack of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, people are being fooled by so-called leaders and planmakers. Consequently, the sufferings of the people are increasing. According to the laws of nature, which are backed by the Lord, nothing can be permanent within this material world; therefore everyone should be allowed to take shelter of the Absolute in order to be saved. In this regard, Lord Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29) :

bhoktāraṁ yajṣa-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ jṣātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

“The sage who knows Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.”

If one wants peace of mind and tranquillity in society, he must accept the fact that the real enjoyer is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Lord is the proprietor of everything all over the universe, and He is the supreme friend of all living entities as well. By understanding this, people can become happy and peaceful individually and collectively.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
With great attention, in the form of time, you suddenly seize the greedy person desiring material objects, who is intensely mad with thoughts of all the things he should do, just as a snake, licking its lips, seizes a mouse. This verse describes how the Lord destroys everyone. People become made thinking “This should be done. That should be done.” (iti kṛtya) You seize them (abhipadyase). Kṣul-lelihānaḥ mean “touching the tip of tongue to the lip.” You are like a snake seizing a mouse (akhum).
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