Text 12]
The Forest of Enjoyment
21
TEXT 12
स यदा दुग्धपूर्वसुकृतस्तदा कारस्करकाकतुण्डाद्यपुण्यद्रुमलताविषोदपानवदुभ- यार्थशून्यद्रविणान् जीवन्मृतान् स्वयं जीवन्म्रियमाण उपधावति ॥१२॥
sa yadā dugdha-pūrva-sukṛtas tadā kāraskara-kākatuṇḍādy-apuṇya- druma-latā-viṣoda-pānavad ubhayārtha-śūnya-draviṇān jīvan-mṛtān svayam jīvan-mriyamāṇa upadhāvati.
saḥ  —that conditioned soul;  yadā  —when;  dugdha  —exhausted;  pūrva  —previous;  sukṛtaḥ  —pious activities;  tadā  —at that time;  kāraskara-kākatuṇḍa-ādi  —named  kāraskara ,  kākatuṇḍa , etc.;  apuṇya- druma-latā  —impious trees and creepers;  viṣa-uda-pāna-vat  —like wells with poisonous water;  ubhaya-artha-śūnya  —which cannot give happi- ness either in this life or in the next;  draviṇān  —those who possess wealth;  jīvat-mṛtān  —who are dead, although apparently alive;  svayam  —he himself;  jīvat  —living;  mriyamāṇaḥ  —being dead;  upadhāvati  —approaches for material acquisition.
TRANSLATION
Due to his pious activities in previous lives, the conditioned soul attains material facilities in this life, but when they are finished, he takes shelter of wealth and riches, which cannot help him in this life or the next. Because of this, he approaches the living dead who possess these things. Such people are compared to impure trees, creepers and poisonous wells.
PURPORT
The wealth and riches acquired through previous pious activities should not be misused for sense gratification. Enjoying them for sense gratification is like enjoying the fruits of a poisonous tree. Such activities will not help the conditioned soul in any way, neither in this life nor the next. However, if one engages his possessions in the service of the Lord under the guidance of a proper spiritual master, he will attain happiness