Text 20]
Rahūgaṇa Converses with Jaḍa Bharata
453
rahūgaṇa tvam api hy adhvano 'sya sannyasta-daṇḍaḥ kṛta-bhūta-maitraḥ asaj-jitātmā hari-sevayā śitaṁ jñānāsim ādāya tarāti-pāram
rahūgaṇa —O King Rahūgaṇa;  tvam —you;  api —also;  hi —certainly;  adhvanaḥ —of the path of material existence;  asya —this;  sannyasta-daṇḍaḥ —having given up the king's rod for punishing criminals;  kṛta-bhūta-maitraḥ —having become friendly to everyone;  asat-jita-ātmā —whose mind is not attracted to the material pleasure of life;  hari-sevayā —by the means of loving service to the Supreme Lord;  śitam —sharpened;  jñāna-asim —the sword of knowledge;  ādāya —taking in hand;  tara —cross over;  ati-pāram —to the ultimate end of spiritual existence.
TRANSLATION
My dear King Rahūgaṇa, you are also a victim of the external energy, being situated on the path of attraction to material pleasure. So that you may become an equal friend to all living entities, I now advise you to give up your kingly position and the rod by which you punish criminals. Give up attraction to the sense objects and take up the sword of knowledge sharpened by devotional service. Then you will be able to cut the hard knot of illusory energy and cross to the other side of the ocean of nescience.
PURPORT
In  Bhagavad-gītā  Lord Kṛṣṇa compares the material world to a tree of illusion from which one must cut oneself free:
na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate nānto na cādir na ca sampratiṣṭhā aśvattham enaṁ suvirūḍha-mūlam asaṅga-śastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā
tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁ yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ tam eva cād;aṁ puruṣaṁ prapadye yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī