1114 Stimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 4, Ch. 24

is always existing in the living entity, but Your Lordship is always alert,
and in due course of time You strike him, just as a snake seizes a mouse
and very easily swallows him.

PURPORT

Everyone is greedy, and everyone makes plans for material enjoyment.
In his lust for material enjoyment, the living entity is described as a mad-
man. As stated in Bhagavad-gita:

prakrteh kriyamanani
gunaih karmani sarvasah

ahankara-vimudhatma
kartaham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of
material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in
actuality carried out by nature.” (Bg. 3.27)

Everything is enacted by the laws of nature, and these laws are under
the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The atheists, or
unintelligent men, do not know this. They are busy making their own
plans, and big nations are busy expanding their empire. And yet we know
that in due course of time many empires have come into existence and
been destroyed. Many aristocratic families were created by the people in
their extreme madness, but we can see that in the course of time those
families and empires have all been destroyed. But still the foolish atheists
do not accept the supreme authority of the Lord. Such foolish people
unnecessarily concoct their own duties without referring to the supreme
authority of the Lord. The so-called political leaders are busy making plans
to advance the material prosperity of their nation, but factually these
political leaders only want an exalted position for themselves. Due to their
greed for material position, they falsely present themselves as leaders before
the people and collect their votes, although they are completely under the
grip of the laws of material nature. These are some of the faults of modern
civilization. Without taking to God consciousness and accepting the
authority of the Lord, the living entities become ultimately confused and
frustrated in their planmaking attempts. Due to their unauthorized plans
for economic development, the price of commodities is rising daily all over
the world, so much so that it has become difficult for the poorer classes,
and they are suffering the consequences. And due to lack of Krsna con-
sciousness, people are being fooled by so-called leaders and planmakers.
