TEXT 41
yad-artha iha karmani
vidvan-many asakrn narah
karoty ato viparyasam
amogham vindate phalam
SYNONYMS
yatof which; arthefor the purpose; ihain this material world; karmanimany activities (in factories, industries, speculation and so on); vidvatadvanced in knowledge; manithinking himself to be; asakrtagain and again; naraha person; karotiperforms; atahfrom this; viparyasamthe opposite; amoghamunfailingly; vindateachieves; phalamresult.
TRANSLATION
A materialistic person, thinking himself very advanced in intelligence, continually acts for economic development. But again and again, as enunciated in the Vedas, he is frustrated by material activities, either in this life or in the next. Indeed, the results one obtains are inevitably the opposite of those one desires.
PURPORT
No one has ever achieved the results he desired from material activities. On the contrary, everyone has been frustrated again and again. Therefore one must not waste his time in such material activities for sensual pleasure, either in this life or in the next. So many nationalists, economists and other ambitious persons have tried for happiness, individually or collectively, but history proves that they have all been frustrated. In recent history we have seen many political leaders work hard for individual and collective economic development, but they have all failed. This is the law of nature, as clearly explained in the next verse.

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