Devanagari
कृच्छ्रो महानिह भवार्णवमप्लवेशां
षड्वर्गनक्रमसुखेन तितीर्षन्ति ।
तत्त्वं हरेर्भगवतो भजनीयमङ्घ्रिं
कृत्वोडुपं व्यसनमुत्तर दुस्तरार्णम् ॥ ४० ॥
Verse text
kṛcchro mahān iha bhavārṇavam aplaveśāṁ
ṣaḍ-varga-nakram asukhena titīrṣanti
tat tvaṁ harer bhagavato bhajanīyam aṅghriṁ
kṛtvoḍupaṁ vyasanam uttara dustarārṇam
Synonyms
kṛcchraḥ
—
troublesome
;
mahān
—
very great
;
iha
—
here (in this life)
;
bhava
—
arṇavam — ocean of material existence
;
aplava
—
īśām — of the nondevotees, who have not taken shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
;
ṣaṭ
—
varga — six senses
;
nakram
—
sharks
;
asukhena
—
with great difficulty
;
titīrṣanti
—
cross over
;
tat
—
therefore
;
tvam
—
you
;
hareḥ
—
of the Personality of Godhead
;
bhagavataḥ
—
of the Supreme
;
bhajanīyam
—
worthy of worship
;
aṅghrim
—
the lotus feet
;
kṛtvā
—
making
;
uḍupam
—
boat
;
vyasanam
—
all kinds of dangers
;
uttara
—
cross over
;
dustara
—
very difficult
;
arṇam
—
the ocean .
Translation
The ocean of nescience is very difficult to cross because it is infested with many dangerous sharks. Although those who are nondevotees undergo severe austerities and penances to cross that ocean, we recommend that you simply take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, which are like boats for crossing the ocean. Although the ocean is difficult to cross, by taking shelter of His lotus feet you will overcome all dangers.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
There is great suffering for people lacking a boat to cross the ocean of saṁsāra filled with the crocodiles of the six senses, since they desire to cross but cannot, using a difficult process. Therefore, cross the ocean of saṁsāra, difficult to cross, by making a boat out of the lotus feet of the Lord, worthy of worship.
Crossing saṁsāra is difficult for the sannyāsīs and yogīs. Aplaveśām means “those not having ability or means to cross.” The root īṭ means “to be able to.” Or the word can mean “with the Lord, who enables one to cross.” There is great suffering (kṛcchraḥ) for those who do not have the means of crossing, because they desire to cross, but cannot cross, the ocean of saṁsāra filled with the crocodiles of the six senses. If they are not killed by the waves of lust, or devoured by the crocodiles of the six senses, and if they are strong, though tired, and do not give up, after a long time, somehow or other, by using the arms of jṣāna and vairāgya, among them, one may with difficulty cross the ocean. Therefore, you should cross the ocean of saṁsāra, difficult to cross (vyasanam), by making a boat out of the Lord’s lotus feet. Taking shelter of the boat of the Lord’s feet to cross saṁsāra easily, which becomes the size of calf’s hoof print, is expressed in the following verses:
samāśritā ye pada-pallava-plavaṁ
mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ
bhavāmbudhir vatsa-padaṁ paraṁ padaṁ
padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadāṁ na teṣām
For one who has accepted the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord, who is the shelter of the cosmic manifestation and is famous as Mukunda, or the giver of mukti, the ocean of the material world is like the water contained in a calf's footprint. The place where there are no material miseries, or Vaikuṇṭha, is his goal, not the place where there is danger in every step of life. SB 10.14.54
tvayy ambujākṣākhila-sattva-dhāmni
samādhināveśita-cetasaike
tvat-pāda-potena mahat-kṛtena
kurvanti govatsa-padaṁ bhavābdhim
O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one's meditation on your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of great saints. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoof print of a calf. SB 10.2.30
What difficulty is there in this? There should be no fear in getting on that boat.
Purport
Material existence is compared herein to the great ocean of nescience. Another name of this ocean is Vaitaraṇī. In that Vaitaraṇī Ocean, which is the Causal Ocean, there are innumerable universes floating like footballs. On the other side of the ocean is the spiritual world of Vaikuṇṭha, which is described in
Bhagavad-gītā
(8.20)
as
paras tasmāt tu bhāvo ’nyaḥ.
Thus there is an ever-existing spiritual nature which is beyond this material nature. Even though all the material universes are annihilated again and again in the Causal Ocean, the Vaikuṇṭha planets, which are spiritual, exist eternally and are not subject to dissolution. The human form of life gives the living entity a chance to cross the ocean of nescience, which is this material universe, and enter into the spiritual sky. Although there are many methods or boats by which one can cross the ocean, the Kumāras recommend that the King take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord, just as one would take shelter of a good boat. Nondevotees, who do not take shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet, try to cross the ocean of nescience by other methods (
karma, jṣāna
and
yoga
), but they have a great deal of trouble. Indeed, sometimes they become so busy simply enjoying their troubles that they never cross the ocean. There is no guarantee that the nondevotees will cross the ocean, but even though they manage to cross, they have to undergo severe austerities and penances. On the other hand, anyone who takes to the process of devotional service and has faith that the lotus feet of the Lord are safe boats to cross that ocean is certain to cross very easily and comfortably.
Pṛthu Mahārāja is therefore advised to take the boat of the lotus feet of the Lord to easily cross over all dangers. Dangerous elements in the universe are compared to sharks in the ocean. Even though one may be a very expert swimmer, he cannot possibly survive if he is attacked by sharks. One often sees that many so-called
svāmīs
and
yogīs
sometimes advertise themselves as competent to cross the ocean of nescience and to help others cross, but in actuality they are found to be simply victims of their own senses. Instead of helping their followers to cross the ocean of nescience, such
svāmīs
and
yogīs
fall prey to
māyā,
represented by the fair sex, woman, and are thus devoured by the sharks in that ocean.