Mahārāja Ambarīṣa had unlimited property, and he was the emperor of all seven continents. Still, nothing could attract him. Moreover, if he had lost all that property, he would not have been disturbed. Therefore, when Kṛtyā, the fire-demoness sent by Durvāsā Muni, came to burn him, he did not fear. He simply stood with folded palms, thinking about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Ambarīṣa Mahārāja did not feel any burning sensation. Rather, the demoness was destroyed by Bhagavān’s Sudarśana cakra. Mahārāja Ambarīṣa considered all his wealth to be as good as mud. We become happy when we get money, and when we lose it we lament. However, he saw all of his wealth as good as dust, and this is one of the symptoms of his being a parama mahā-bhāgavata.
August 20, 2001 Mathurā