Display
Devanagari is shown only when this page stored it. Harvard-Kyoto and ASCII are generated from the IAST verse.
Vanisource / Original texts
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.13.40
Save this passage to keep a private note on this device. Notes are not sent to Vedawiki.
Cite
Source navigation
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT 40
- karṇadhāra ivāpāre
- bhagavān pāra-darśakaḥ
- athābabhāṣe bhagavān
- nārado muni-sattamaḥ
karṇacaptain of the ship-dhāraḥcaptain of the ship — captain of the ship; ivalike — like; apārein the extensive oceans — in the extensive oceans; bhagavānrepresentative of the Lord — representative of the Lord; pāraone who can give directions to the other side-darśakaḥone who can give directions to the other side — one who can give directions to the other side; athathus — thus; ābabhāṣebegan to say — began to say; bhagavānthe godly personality — the godly personality; nāradaḥthe great sage Nārada — the great sage Nārada; munithe greatest among the devotee philosophers-satthe greatest among the devotee philosophers-tamaḥthe greatest among the devotee philosophers — the greatest among the devotee philosophers.
You are like a captain of a ship in a great ocean and you can direct us to our destination. Thus addressed, the godly personality, Devarṣi Nārada, greatest of the philosopher devotees, began to speak.
There are different types of philosophers, and the greatest of all of them are those who have seen the Personality of Godhead and have surrendered themselves in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Among all such pure devotees of the Lord, Devarṣi Nārada is the chief, and therefore he has been described herein as the greatest of all philosopher devotees. Unless one has become a sufficiently learned philosopher by hearing the Vedānta philosophy from a bona fide spiritual master, one cannot be a learned philosopher devotee. One must be very faithful, learned and renounced, otherwise one cannot be a pure devotee. A pure devotee of the Lord can give us direction towards the other end of nescience. Devarṣi Nārada used to visit the palace of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira because the Pāṇḍavas were all pure devotees of the Lord, and the Devarṣi was always ready to give them good counsel whenever needed.