सेवमानो न चातुष्यदाज्यस्तोकैरिवानल: ॥ ४८ ॥
viṣayān vividhaiḥ sukhaiḥ
sevamāno na cātuṣyad
ājya-stokair ivānalaḥ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
SYNONYMS
evam—in this way; gṛheṣu—in household affairs; abhirataḥ—being always engaged; viṣayān—material paraphernalia; vividhaiḥ—with varieties of; sukhaiḥ—happiness; sevamānaḥ—enjoying; na—not; ca—also; atuṣyat—satisfied him; ājya-stokaiḥ—by drops of fat; iva—like; analaḥ—a fire.
TRANSLATION
In this way, Saubhari Muni enjoyed sense gratification in the material world, but he was not at all satisfied, just as a fire never ceases blazing if constantly supplied with drops of fat.
PURPORT
Material desire is just like a blazing fire. If a fire is continually supplied with drops of fat, the fire will increase more and more and never be extinguished. Therefore the policy of trying to satisfy material desires by catering to one's material demands will never be successful. In modern civilization, everyone is engaged in economic development, which is another way of constantly dropping fat into the material fire. The Western countries have reached the summit of material civilization, but people are still dissatisfied. Real satisfaction is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), where Kṛṣṇa says:
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati