नारद उवाच राजन्किं ध्यायसे दीर्घं मुखेन परिशुष्यता किं वा न रिष्यते कामो धर्मो वार्थेन संयुतः
nārada uvāca rājan kiṁ dhyāyase dīrghaṁ mukhena pariśuṣyatā kiṁ vā na riṣyate kāmo dharmo vārthena saṁyutaḥ
Synonyms
nāradaḥ uvāca—the great sage Nārada Muni said; rājan—my dear King; kim—what; dhyāyase—thinking of; dīrgham—very deeply; mukhena—with your face; pariśuṣyatā—as if drying up; kim vā—whether; na—not; riṣyate—been lost; kāmaḥ—sense gratification; dharmaḥ—religious rituals; vā—or; arthena—with economic development; saṁyutaḥ—along with..
Translation
The great sage Nārada inquired: My dear King, your face appears to be withering up, and you look like you have been thinking of something for a very long time. Why is that? Have you been hampered in following your path of religious rites, economic development and sense gratification?
Purport
The four stages of advancement of human civilisation are religiosity, economic development, sense gratification and, for some, the stage of liberation. Nārada Muni did not inquire from the King about his liberation, but only regarding the state management, which is meant for advancement of the three principles of religiosity, economic development and sense gratification. Since those who engage in such activities are not interested in liberation, Nārada did not inquire from the King about this. Liberation is meant for persons who have lost all interest in religious ritualistic ceremonies, economic development and sense gratification.