154 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 8, Ch. 5

garland from his own neck. Indra, however, being too puffed up, took
the garland, and without respect for Durvasa Muni, he placed it on the
trunk of his carrier elephant. The elephant, being an animal, could not
understand the value of the garland, and thus the elephant threw the
garland between its legs and smashed it. Seeing this insulting behavior,
Durvasa Muni immediately cursed Indra to be poverty-stricken, bereft of
all material opulence. Thus the demigods, afflicted on one side by the
fighting demons and on the other by the curse of Durvasa Muni, lost all
the material opulences in the three worlds.

To be extremely opulent in materialistic advancement is sometimes
very risky. The materially opulent person does not care about anyone,
and thus he commits offenses to great personalities, such as devotees and
great saints. This is the way of material opulence. As described by
Sukadeva Gosvami, dhana-durmadadndha: too much wealth makes one
blind. This happens even to Indra in his heavenly kingdom, and what to
speak of others in this material world? When one is materially opulent,
he should learn to be sober and well-behaved toward Vaisnavas and
saintly persons; otherwise he will fall down.

TEXTS 17-18

Praetaq Farm AeRTRNeA: |
MATA AAA ATT ATT 12
a aaa saan aagT: |
ad fares: soa: aafgea lel
nisdmyaitat sura-gana
mahendra-varunddayah

nadhyagacchan svayam mantrair
mantrayanto viniscitam

tato brahma-sabham jagmur
meror mirdhani sarvasah

sarvam viyfdpayam cakruh
pranatah paramesthine
