Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.14.38
Who is speaking and story frame
एतस्मिन् संसाराध्वनि नानाक्लेशोपसर्गबाधित आपन्नविपन्नो यत्र यस्तमु ह वावेतरस्तत्र विसृज्य जातं जातमुपादाय शोचन्मुह्यन् बिभ्यद्विवदन् क्रदन् संहृष्यन्गायन्नह्यमान: साधुवर्जितो नैवावर्ततेऽद्यापि यत आरब्ध एष नरलोकसार्थो यमध्वन: पारमुपदिशन्ति ॥ ३८ ॥
etasmin saṁsārādhvani nānā-kleśopasarga-bādhita āpanna-vipanno yatra yas tam u ha vāvetaras tatra visṛjya jātaṁ jātam upādāya śocan muhyan bibhyad-vivadan krandan saṁhṛṣyan gāyan nahyamānaḥ sādhu-varjito naivāvartate ’dyāpi yata ārabdha eṣa nara-loka-sārtho yam adhvanaḥ pāram upadiśanti.
The path of this material world is full of material miseries, and various troubles disturb the conditioned souls. Sometimes he loses, and sometimes he gains. In either case, the path is full of danger. Sometimes the conditioned soul is separated from his father by death or other circumstances. Leaving him aside he gradually becomes attached to others, such as his children. In this way, the conditioned soul is sometimes illusioned and afraid. Sometimes he cries loudly out of fear. Sometimes he is happy maintaining his family, and sometimes he is overjoyed and sings melodiously. In this way he becomes entangled and forgets his separation from the Supreme Personality of Godhead since time immemorial. Thus he traverses the dangerous path of material existence, and on this path he is not at all happy. Those who are self-realized simply take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in order to get out of this dangerous material existence. Without accepting the devotional path, one cannot get out of the clutches of material existence. The conclusion is that no one can be happy in material life. One must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io