rājataś caurataḥ śatroḥ
sva-janāt paśu-pakṣitaḥ
arthibhyaḥ kālataḥ svasmān
nityaṁ prāṇārthavad bhayam
TRANSLATION
Those who are considered materially powerful and rich are always full of anxieties because of governmental laws, thieves and rogues, enemies, family members, animals, birds, persons seeking charity, the inevitable time factor and even their own selves. Thus they are invariably afraid.
PURPORT
The word svasmāt means “from one’s self.” Because of attachment for money, the richest person is even afraid of himself. He fears that he may have locked his money in an unsafe manner or might have committed some mistake. 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. Sometimes these relatives are described as sva janaka-dasyu, which means “rogues and thieves in the guise of relatives.” Therefore, there is no need to accumulate wealth or unnecessarily endeavor for more and more money. The real business of life is to ask “Who am I?” and to understand one’s self. world and understand how to return home, back to Godhead.