Shloka 22
Rāhu, Eclipses, Antarikṣa, and the Seven Subterranean Heavens
Bila-svarga
न वै भगवान्नूनममुष्यानुजग्राह यदुत पुनरात्मानुस्मृतिमोषणं मायामयभोगैश्वर्यमेवातनुतेति ॥ २२ ॥
na vai bhagavān nūnam amuṣyānujagrāha yad uta punar ātmānusmṛti-moṣaṇaṁ māyāmaya-bhogaiśvaryam evātanuteti.
Wahrlich, der Bhagavān erwies Bali Mahārāja keine Gnade, indem Er ihm materielles Glück und Reichtum gab; denn māyāhafte Genüsse und Macht rauben die Erinnerung an den liebenden Dienst am Herrn, und der Geist kann sich nicht mehr in der Höchsten Person versenken.
There are two kinds of opulence. One, which results from one’s karma, is material, whereas the other is spiritual. A surrendered soul who fully depends upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not want material opulence for sense gratification. Therefore when a pure devotee is seen to possess exalted material opulence, it is not due to his karma. Rather, it is due to his bhakti. In other words, he is in that position because the Supreme Lord wants him to execute service to Him very easily and opulently. The special mercy of the Lord for the neophyte devotee is that he becomes materially poor. This is the Lord’s mercy because if a neophyte devotee becomes materially opulent, he forgets the service of the Lord. However, if an advanced devotee is favored by the Lord with opulence, it is not material opulence but a spiritual opportunity. Material opulence offered to the demigods causes forgetfulness of the Lord, but opulence was given to Bali Mahārāja for continuing service to the Lord, which was free from any touch of māyā.
FAQs
This verse says that illusory enjoyment and opulence can rob one of ātma-smṛti (true spiritual remembrance); when such forgetfulness increases, it indicates the Lord’s mercy has not yet fully awakened in that person.
Because instead of granting spiritual remembrance and liberation-oriented intelligence, the Lord allows them to remain absorbed in māyā-made pleasures that deepen forgetfulness of the Self.
Treat comfort and success as tools, not the goal; regularly cultivate remembrance through śravaṇa-kīrtana (hearing and chanting), and practice restraint so prosperity does not become a cause of spiritual forgetfulness.