Text 14
atho na rājyam mṛga-tṛṣṇi-rūpitaṁ
dehena śaśvat patatā rujāṁ bhuvā
upāsitavyaṁ spṛhayāmahe vibho
kriyā-phalaṁ pretya ca karṇa-rocanam
atha u — henceforward; na — not; rājyam — kingdom; mṛga-tṛṣṇi — like a mirage; rūpitam — which appears; dehena — by the material body; śaśvat — perpetually; patatā — subject to demise; rujām — of diseases; bhuvā — the birthplace; upāsitavyam — to be served; spṛhayāmahe — do we hanker for; vibho — O almighty Lord; kriyā — of pious work; phalam — the fruit; pretya — having passed to the next life; ca — and; karṇa — for the ears; rocanam — enticement.
Never again will we hanker for a miragelike kingdom — a kingdom that must be slavishly served by this mortal body, which is simply a source of disease and suffering and which is declining at every moment. Nor, O almighty Lord, will we hanker to enjoy the heavenly fruits of pious work in the next life, since the promise of such rewards is simply an empty enticement for the ears.
One must work very hard to maintain a kingdom or political sovereignty. And yet the body, which works so hard to maintain one’s political power, is itself doomed. At every moment the mortal body moves toward death, and all along the way the body is subject to many painful diseases. The whole affair of mundane power is thus a waste of time for the pure soul, who needs to revive his dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
The Vedic scriptures and other religious scriptures contain many promises of prosperity and heavenly enjoyment in the next life for one who acts piously in this life. Such promises are pleasing to the ears, but they are nothing more than that. Material enjoyment, whether in heaven or in hell, is a type of illusion for the pure soul. By the personal association of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the fortunate kings have now realized the higher spiritual reality beyond the phantasmagoria of the material creation.