SB 8.22.24

Devanāgarī

श्रीभगवानुवाच ब्रह्मन् यमनुगृह्णामि तद्विशो विधुनोम्यहम् । यन्मद: पुरुष: स्तब्धो लोकं मां चावमन्यते ॥ २४ ॥

Text

śrī-bhagavān uvāca brahman yam anugṛhṇāmi tad-viśo vidhunomy aham yan-madaḥ puruṣaḥ stabdho lokaṁ māṁ cāvamanyate

Synonyms

śrī-bhagavānuvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;brahman—O Lord Brahmā;yam—unto anyone to whom;anugṛhṇāmi—I show My mercy;tat—his;viśaḥ—material opulence or riches;vidhunomi—take away;aham—I;yat-madaḥ—having false prestige due to this money;puruṣaḥ—such a person;stabdhaḥ—being dull-minded;lokam—the three worlds;māmca—unto Me also;avamanyate—derides.

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Lord Brahmā, because of material opulence a foolish person becomes dull-witted and mad. Thus he has no respect for anyone within the three worlds and defies even My authority. To such a person I show special favor by first taking away all his possessions.

Purport

A civilization that has become godless because of material advancement in opulence is extremely dangerous. Because of great opulence, a materialist becomes so proud that he has no regard for anyone and even refuses to accept the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The result of such a mentality is certainly very dangerous. To show special favor, the Lord sometimes makes an example of someone like Bali Mahārāja, who was now bereft of all his possessions.

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