Texts 15-16
śrī-śuka uvāca
ambarīṣo mahā-bhāgaḥ
sapta-dvīpavatīṁ mahīm
avyayāṁ ca śriyaṁ labdhvā
vibhavaṁ cātulaṁ bhuvi
mene ’tidurlabhaṁ puṁsāṁ
sarvaṁ tat svapna-saṁstutam
vidvān vibhava-nirvāṇaṁ
tamo viśati yat pumān
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; ambarīṣaḥ — King Ambarīṣa; mahā-bhāgaḥ — the greatly fortunate king; sapta-dvīpavatīm — consisting of seven islands; mahīm — the whole world; avyayām ca — and inexhaustible; śriyam — beauty; labdhvā — after achieving; vibhavam ca — and opulences; atulam — unlimited; bhuvi — in this earth; mene — he decided; ati-durlabham — which is rarely obtained; puṁsām — of many persons; sarvam — everything (he had obtained); tat — that which; svapna-saṁstutam — as if imagined in a dream; vidvān — completely understanding; vibhava-nirvāṇam — the annihilation of that opulence; tamaḥ — ignorance; viśati — fallen into; yat — because of which; pumān — a person.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, the most fortunate personality, achieved the rule of the entire world, consisting of seven islands, and achieved inexhaustible, unlimited opulence and prosperity on earth. Although such a position is rarely obtained, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa did not care for it at all, for he knew very well that all such opulence is material. Like that which is imagined in a dream, such opulence will ultimately be destroyed. The King knew that any nondevotee who attains such opulence merges increasingly into material nature’s mode of darkness.
For a devotee material opulence is insignificant, whereas for a nondevotee material opulence is the cause of increasing bondage, for a devotee knows that anything material is temporary, whereas a nondevotee regards the temporary so-called happiness as everything and forgets the path of self-realization. Thus for the nondevotee material opulence is a disqualification for spiritual advancement.