Study a Verse

• Because of attachment for money, the richest person is even afraid of himself.
• Aside from the government and its income tax and aside from thieves, even a rich man’s own relatives are always thinking of how to take advantage of him and take away his money.
• One should understand the position of the living entity in this material world and understand how to return home, back to Godhead.

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

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 13: The Behavior of a Perfect Person

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Although fully learned, he should always remain silent, like a dumb person, and travel like a restless child. In this regard, Nārada Muni described a meeting between Prahlāda and a saintly person who had adopted the mode of life of a python.