164 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 8, Ch. 22

kim dtmandnena jahati yo ’ntatah

kirn riktha-haraih svajandkhya-dasyubhih
kim jayaya sarisrti-hetu-bhitaya

martyasya gehaih kim ihayuso vyayah

kim—what is the use; dtmand anena—of this body; jahati—gives up;
yah—which (body); antatah—at the end of life; kim—what is the use;
riktha-hadraih—the plunderers of wealth; svajana-dkhya-dasyubhih—
they who are actually plunderers but who pass by the name of relatives;
kim—what is the use; jayayd—of a wife; sarisrti-hetu-bhiitaya—who is
the source of increasing material conditions; martyasya—of a person
sure to die; gehaih—of houses, family and community; kim—what is
the use; iha—in which house; dyusah—of the duration of life;
vyayah—simply wasting.

TRANSLATION

What is the use of the material body, which automatically leaves
its owner at the end of life? And what is the use of all one’s family
members, who are actually plunderers taking away money that is
useful for the service of the Lord in spiritual opulence? What is
the use of a wife? She is only the source of increasing material
conditions. And what is the use of family, home, country and com-
munity? Attachment for them merely wastes the valuable energy
of one’s lifetime.

PURPORT

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, advises, sarva-dharman
parityajya mam ekam Saranam vraja: “Give up all other varieties of
religion and just surrender unto Me.”” The common man does not ap-
preciate such a statement by the Supreme Personality of Godhead be-
cause he thinks that during his lifetime his family, society, country, body
and relatives are everything. Why should one give up any one of them
and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? But from the
behavior of great personalities like Prahlada Maharaja and Bali Maharaja
we understand that surrendering to the Lord is the right action for an in-
telligent person. Prahlada Maharaja took shelter of Visnu against the will
