TEXT 47
klesa-bhury-alpa-sarani
karmani viphalani va
dehinam visayartanam
na tathaivarpitam tvayi
SYNONYMS
klesahardship; bhurivery much; alpavery little; saranigood result; karmaniactivities; viphalanifrustration; vaeither; dehinamof persons; visaya-artanamwho are eager to enjoy the material world; nanot; tathalike that; evaindeed; arpitamdedicated; tvayiunto Your Lordship.
TRANSLATION
Karmis are always anxious to accumulate wealth for their sense gratification, but for that purpose they must work very hard. Yet even though they work hard, the results are not satisfying. Indeed, sometimes their work results only in frustration. But devotees who have dedicated their lives to the service of the Lord can achieve substantial results without working very hard. These results exceed the devotees expectations.
PURPORT
We can practically see how the devotees who have dedicated their lives for the service of the Lord in the Krsna consciousness movement are getting immense opportunities for the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without working very hard. The Krsna consciousness movement actually started with only forty rupees, but now it has more than forty crores worth of property, and all this opulence has been achieved within eight or ten years. No karmi can expect to improve his business so swiftly, and besides that, whatever a karmi acquires is temporary and sometimes frustrating. In Krsna consciousness, however, everything is encouraging and improving. The Krsna consciousness movement is not very popular with the karmis because this movement recommends that one refrain from illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. These are restrictions that karmis very much dislike. Nonetheless, in the presence of so many enemies, this movement is progressing, going forward without impediments. If the devotees continue to spread this movement, dedicating life and soul to the lotus feet of Krsna, no one will be able to check it. The movement will go forward without limits. Chant Hare Krsna!

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