Text 13] Deliverance of the Yamala-arjuna Trees
185
In the beginning it was nothing, and in the end it will be nothing. Why then should one commit sinful activities when it is manifested? It is not possible for anyone to do this unless he is rascal number one.
TEXT 13
असतः श्रीमदान्यस्य दारिद्र्यं परमञ्जनम् । 
    आत्मोपम्येन भूतानि दरिद्रः परमीक्षते ॥१३॥
asataḥ śrī-madāndhasya 
    dāridryam param añjanam 
    ātmaupamyena bhūtāni 
    daridraḥ param īkṣate
asataḥ —of such a foolish rascal;  śrī-mada-andhasya —who is blinded by temporarily possessing riches and opulence;  dāridryam —poverty;  param añjanam —the best ointment for the eyes, by which to see things as they are;  ātma-aupamyena —with comparison to himself;  bhūtāni —living beings;  daridraḥ —a poverty-stricken man;  param —perfectly;  īkṣate —can see things as they are.
TRANSLATION
Atheistic fools and rascals who are very much proud of wealth fail to see things as they are. Therefore, returning them to poverty is the proper ointment for their eyes so they may see things as they are. At least a poverty-stricken man can realize how painful poverty is, and therefore he will not want others to be in a painful condition like his own.
PURPORT
Even today, if a man who was formerly poverty-stricken gets money, he is inclined to utilize his money to perform many philanthropic activities, like opening schools for uneducated men and hospitals for the diseased. In this connection there is an instructive story called  punar mūṣiko bhava , “Again Become a Mouse.” A mouse was very much harassed by a cat, and therefore the mouse approached a saintly person to request to become a cat. When the mouse became a cat, he was harassed