Srimad Bhagavatam — Chaturtha Skandha, Shloka 66
Lord Śiva Instructs the Pracetās (Śiva-stuti and the Path of Bhakti)
प्रमत्तमुच्चैरिति कृत्यचिन्तया प्रवृद्धलोभं विषयेषु लालसम् । त्वमप्रमत्त: सहसाभिपद्यसे क्षुल्लेलिहानोऽहिरिवाखुमन्तक: ॥ ६६ ॥
pramattam uccair iti kṛtya-cintayā pravṛddha-lobhaṁ viṣayeṣu lālasam tvam apramattaḥ sahasābhipadyase kṣul-lelihāno ’hir ivākhum antakaḥ
主啊，众生因筹谋事务而迷狂，贪欲滋长，常常渴求感官对象。然而你恒常警觉；时机一到，你便骤然降临擒住他们，如蛇攫取老鼠，轻易吞下。
Everyone is greedy, and everyone makes plans for material enjoyment. In his lust for material enjoyment, the living entity is described as a madman. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (3.27) :
FAQs
This verse says that when one becomes absorbed in worldly plans, greed grows and the mind runs toward sense objects—making one spiritually careless and vulnerable to being overtaken by Time.
In their prayer, the Pracetas portray the Lord’s power as Time/Death: while humans feel secure in noisy worldly activity, the Lord’s vigilant time-force can overtake them without warning.
Reduce compulsive busyness and craving-driven goals, practice daily bhakti (hearing, chanting, remembrance), and live with awareness that time is limited—so priorities stay centered on devotion and self-control.