SB 10.49.22
Please note: The synonyms, translation and purport of this verse were composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TEXT 22
- adharmopacitaṁ vittaṁ
- haranty anye 'lpa-medhasaḥ
- sambhojanīyāpadeśair
- jalānīva jalaukasaḥ
SYNONYMS
adharma — by irreligious means; upacitam — gathered; vittam — wealth; haranti — steal; anye — other persons; alpa-medhasaḥ — of one who is unintelligent; sambhojanīya — as requiring support; apadeśaiḥ — by the false designations; jalāni — water; iva — as; jala-okasaḥ — of a resident of the water.
Translation and purport composed by disciples of Śrīla Prabhupāda
TRANSLATION
In the guise of dear dependents, strangers steal the sinfully acquired wealth of a foolish man, just as the offspring of a fish drink up the water that sustains the fish.
PURPORT
Ordinary people feel they cannot live without their wealth, although their possession of it is circumstantial and temporary. Just as wealth gives life to an ordinary man, water gives life to a fish. One's dear dependents, however, steal one's wealth, just as a fish's offspring drink up the water sustaining the fish. In the words of Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, this world is "a weird abode."