Text 1
śrī-nārada uvāca
bhakti-yogasya tat sarvam
antarāyatayārbhakaḥ
manyamāno hṛṣīkeśaṁ
smayamāna uvāca ha
śrī-nāradaḥ uvāca — Nārada Muni said; bhakti-yogasya — of the principles of devotional service; tat — those (blessings or benedictions offered by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva); sarvam — each and every one of them; antarāyatayā — because of being impediments (on the path of bhakti-yoga); arbhakaḥ — Prahlāda Mahārāja, although only a boy; manyamānaḥ — considering; hṛṣīkeśam — unto Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva; smayamānaḥ — smiling; uvāca — said; ha — in the past.
The saint Nārada Muni continued: Although Prahlāda Mahārāja was only a boy, when he heard the benedictions offered by Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva he considered them impediments on the path of devotional service. Thus he smiled very mildly and spoke as follows.
Material achievements are not the ultimate goal of devotional service. The ultimate goal of devotional service is love of Godhead. Therefore although Prahlāda Mahārāja, Dhruva Mahārāja, Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja and many devotee kings were materially very opulent, they accepted their material opulence in the service of the Lord, not for their personal sense gratification. Of course, possessing material opulence is always fearful because under the influence of material opulence one may be misdirected from devotional service. Nonetheless, a pure devotee (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam) is never misdirected by material opulence. On the contrary, whatever he possesses he engages one hundred percent in the service of the Lord. When one is allured by material possessions, they are considered to be given by māyā, but when one uses material possessions fully for service, they are considered God’s gifts, or facilities offered by Kṛṣṇa for enhancing one’s devotional service.