Study a Verse

• Even in ordinary transactions between two people, there is invariably cheating because the conditioned soul is defective in four ways — he is illusioned, he commits mistakes, his knowledge is imperfect, and he has a propensity to cheat.
• Consequently every man has a cheating propensity, which is employed in business or money transactions.
• Unless one can find a person transcendental to the four basic defects, one should not accept advice and become a victim of the material condition.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Misjudgment → Humility and insight. Spiritual insight hides behind social appearances.

Chapters 10–14 of Canto 5: Jaḍa Bharata instructs Rahūgaṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 14: The Material World as the Great Forest of Enjoyment

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Sometimes, being in need of money, the conditioned soul steals and cheats, although he may apparently be associated with devotees for spiritual advancement. His only business is getting out of the clutches of māyā, but due to improper guidance he becomes more and more entangled in material dealings.