Ocean of poison

Expressions researched:
"ocean of poison"

BG Chapters 1 - 6

One should not try to drink the ocean of poison in imitation of Lord Śiva.

BG 3.24, Purport: "One should simply follow the instructions of the Lord and His empowered servants. Their instructions are all good for us, and any intelligent person will perform them as instructed. However, one should guard against trying to imitate their actions. One should not try to drink the ocean of poison in imitation of Lord Śiva." We should always consider the position of the īśvaras, or those who can actually control the movements of the sun and moon, as superior. Without such power, one cannot imitate the īśvaras, who are superpowerful. Lord Śiva drank poison to the extent of swallowing an ocean, but if any common man tries to drink even a fragment of such poison, he will be killed. There are many pseudo devotees of Lord Śiva who want to indulge in smoking gañjā (marijuana) and similar intoxicating drugs, forgetting that by so imitating the acts of Lord Śiva they are calling death very near. Similarly, there are some pseudo devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa who prefer to imitate the Lord in His rāsa-līlā, or dance of love, forgetting their inability to lift Govardhana Hill. It is best, therefore, that one not try to imitate the powerful, but simply follow their instructions; nor should one try to occupy their posts without qualification. There are so many "incarnations" of God without the power of the Supreme Godhead.

SB Canto 1

Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison of which one drop was sufficient to kill an ordinary living being.

SB 1.18.14, Purport: Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā are two chiefs of the demigods. They are full of mystic powers. For example, Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison of which one drop was sufficient to kill an ordinary living being. Similarly, Brahmā could create many powerful demigods, including Lord Śiva. So they are īśvaras, or lords of the universe. But they are not the supreme powerful. The supreme powerful is Govinda, Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is the Transcendence, and His transcendental attributes cannot be measured even by such powerful īśvaras as Śiva and Brahmā. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is the exclusive shelter of the greatest of all living beings.

SB Canto 3

Lord Śiva once swallowed an ocean of poison, and thus his throat became blue.

SB 3.14.28, Purport: There are two kinds of devotees of Lord Śiva. One class is the gross materialist seeking only bodily comforts from Lord Śiva, and the other class desires to become one with him. They are mostly impersonalists and prefer to chant śivo'ham, "I am Śiva," or "After liberation I shall become one with Lord Śiva." In other words, the karmīs and jñānīs are generally devotees of Lord Śiva, but they do not properly understand his real purpose in life. Sometimes so-called devotees of Lord Śiva imitate him in using poisonous intoxicants. Lord Śiva once swallowed an ocean of poison, and thus his throat became blue. The imitation Śivas try to follow him by indulging in poisons, and thus they are ruined. The real purpose of Lord Śiva is to serve the Soul of the soul, Lord Kṛṣṇa. He desires that all luxurious articles, such as nice garments, garlands, ornaments and cosmetics, be given to Lord Kṛṣṇa only, because Kṛṣṇa is the real enjoyer. He refuses to accept such luxurious items himself because they are only meant for Kṛṣṇa.

SB Canto 4

Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison.

SB 4.2.28, Purport: It is sometimes seen that devotees of Lord Śiva imitate the characteristics of Lord Śiva. For example, Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison, so some of the followers of Lord Śiva imitate him and try to take intoxicants like gāñjā (marijuana). Here the curse is that if someone follows such principles he must become an infidel and turn against the principles of Vedic regulation. It is said that such devotees of Lord Śiva will be sacchāstra-paripanthinaḥ, which means "opposed to the conclusion of śāstra, or scripture." This is confirmed in the Padma Purāṇa also. Lord Śiva was ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to preach the impersonal, or Māyāvāda, philosophy for a particular purpose, just as Lord Buddha preached the philosophy of voidness for particular purposes mentioned in the śāstras.

Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison and kept it in his throat, not swallowing it or allowing it to go down to his stomach, and thus his throat became blue. Since then he has been known as nīlakaṇṭha, or blue throated. The reason that Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison was for others' benefit.

SB 4.3.12, Purport: Lord Śiva is addressed here as blue throated. Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison and kept it in his throat, not swallowing it or allowing it to go down to his stomach, and thus his throat became blue. Since then he has been known as nīlakaṇṭha, or blue throated. The reason that Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison was for others' benefit. When the ocean was churned by the demigods and the demons, the churning at first produced poison, so because the poisonous ocean might have affected others who were not so advanced, Lord Śiva drank all the ocean water. In other words, he could drink such a great amount of poison for others' benefit.

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung: I cannot find any means to get out of this great ocean, which is indeed like an ocean of poison.

SB 4.28.27, Purport: To save human civilization from the darkness of ignorance, this movement was started. The main purpose of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to enlighten the forgetful living entity and remind him of his original Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In this way the living entity can be saved from the catastrophe of ignorance as well as bodily transmigration. As Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung:

anādi karama-phale, paḍi' bhavārṇava-jale,

taribāre nā dekhi upāya

ei viṣaya-halāhale, divā-niśi hiyā jvale,

mana kabhu sukha nāhi pāya

"Because of my past fruitive activities, I have now fallen into an ocean of nescience. I cannot find any means to get out of this great ocean, which is indeed like an ocean of poison. We are trying to be happy through sense enjoyment, but actually that so-called enjoyment is like food that is too hot and causes burning in the heart. I feel a burning sensation constantly, day and night, and thus my mind cannot find satisfaction."

SB Canto 5

Material affairs have been compared to an ocean of poison.

SB 5.1.22, Purport: Exalted kings, who were known as rājarṣis, ruled only to maintain and protect the kingdom for the welfare of the citizens. The history of Priyavrata and Svāyambhuva Manu describes how exemplary, responsible monarchs performed the duties of government with disinterest, keeping themselves always aloof from the contamination of material attachment.

Material affairs have herein been compared to an ocean of poison. They have been described in a similar way by Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura in one of his songs:

saṁsāra-viṣānale, divā-niśi hiyā jvale,

juḍāite nā kainu upāya

"My heart is always burning in the fire of material existence. and I have made no provisions for getting out of it."

golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana,

rati nā janmila kene tāya

"The only remedy is hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, which is imported from the spiritual world, Goloka Vṛndāvana. How unfortunate I am that I have no attraction for this." Manu wanted to seek shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord, and therefore when his son Priyavrata took charge of his worldly affairs, Manu was very relieved. That is the system of Vedic civilization. At the end of life, one must free himself from worldly affairs and completely engage in the service of the Lord.

SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)

SB 10.33.30, Translation: One who is not a great controller should never imitate the behavior of ruling personalities, even mentally. If out of foolishness an ordinary person does imitate such behavior, he will simply destroy himself, just as a person who is not Rudra would destroy himself if he tried to drink an ocean of poison.

CC Madhya-lila

Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison, but one should not imitate this.

CC Madhya 8.250, Purport: Unless one is a devotee, it is very dangerous to hear the songs about the pastimes of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa that were written by Jayadeva Gosvāmī, Caṇḍīdāsa and other exalted devotees. Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison, but one should not imitate this. One must first become a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Only then can one enjoy hearing the songs of Jayadeva and relish transcendental bliss. If one simply imitates the activities of Lord Śiva and drinks poison, one will certainly meet with death. The talks between Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya are meant for advanced devotees only.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison and kept it within his throat. The poison made his throat turn blue, and therefore Lord Śiva is called Nīlakaṇṭha.

Krsna Book 33: The rāsa-līlā dance cannot be imitated by anyone. Śukadeva Gosvāmī warns that one should not even think of imitating it. He specifically mentions that if, out of foolishness, one tries to imitate Kṛṣṇa’s rāsa dance, he will be killed, just like a person who wants to imitate Lord Śiva’s drinking of an ocean of poison. Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison and kept it within his throat. The poison made his throat turn blue, and therefore Lord Śiva is called Nīlakaṇṭha. But if any ordinary person tries to imitate Lord Śiva by drinking poison or smoking gañjā, he is sure to be vanquished and will die within a very short time. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s dealings with the gopīs occurred under special circumstances.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lord Śiva drank an ocean of poison and he kept it on the throat. He did not allow to go down. So therefore his name is Nīlakaṇṭha. It became bluish. His neck is blue.

Lecture on BG 3.6-10 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968: don't try to imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. His stage was different. We cannot imitate. We can simply follow. Anukaraṇa, anusaraṇa, there are two Sanskrit words. One is imitation, and one who is following the footprints. If one tries to follow the footprints of great personalities, that is very nice, but we cannot imitate. Imitate. Imitation is dangerous. Just like Lord Śiva, he drank an ocean of poison and he kept it on the throat. He did not allow to go down. So therefore his name is Nīlakaṇṭha. It became bluish. His neck is blue. But if somebody imitates Lord Śiva and indulges intoxication, gāñjā, he'll go to hell. He is powerful. Somebody says "Well, Lord Śiva is a smoker so we can also smoke." No. You cannot imitate. You can simply follow.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lord Śiva can drink an ocean of poison and he can keep it just here at the throat. He does not allow it go to the stomach. That is his power.

Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971: When Kṛṣṇa was a child on the lap of His mother, the Pūtanā came to attack by policy to poison the child. But Kṛṣṇa was so able that He agreed to suck the breast of the Pūtanā smeared with poison. But we should not imitate that. Unconsciously, somebody gives poison. That is... Kṛṣṇa protects. But we should not imitate. Kṛṣṇa can eat any amount of poison. Even Kṛṣṇa's greatest devotee, Lord Śiva, he can also drink any amount of poison. But the rascals, fools, they think that "Lord Śiva smokes gāñjā and he can drink the ocean of poison. So let us also try to follow the footsteps of Lord Śiva by smoking gāñjā." They cannot follow the footsteps of Lord Śiva that he is the greatest devotee, always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa. That is not their business, to follow. But they are very much eager to follow the footsteps of Lord Śiva for smoking gāñjā. But they do not know that Śiva, Lord Śiva, can drink an ocean of poison and he can keep it just here. He does not allow it go to the stomach. That is his power. He cannot... He does not allow the poison. Therefore His another name is Nīlakaṇṭha.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Lord Śiva drank the ocean of poison, and if you drink a drop, you will die. You cannot imitate the most powerful.

Morning Walk -- May 13, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: You can cheat. (laughter) You can cheat. For Kṛṣṇa's sake we can cheat also. But don't be caught. Then it will be scandalous.

Gaṇeśa: Thank you. Kṛṣṇa is the biggest cheat.

Prabhupāda: Yes, He is big in everything, but you should not imitate, because you are not as big as Kṛṣṇa. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya [SB 10.33.29]. He is very powerful. Before His power, everything becomes vāṇīshed. He remains powerful. But you cannot do that. "Kṛṣṇa is biggest cheater; therefore I shall become a cheater." That is not good policy. Then you will be finished. Just like the example is given that Lord Śiva drank the ocean of poison, and if you drink a drop, you will die. You cannot imitate the most powerful. That is not possible.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

In your organization both the audience and the lecturer are mundane persons and their indulgence in the matter of Rasalila out of sheer foolishness will result in imitating Rudra who swallowed up an ocean of poison.

Letter to Ratanshi Morarji Khatau -- Bombay 5 August, 1958: In the sloka No. 30 it is forbidden that a mundane person should not indulge in hearing Rasalila or one should not hear Rasalila from a mundane person. In your organization both the audience and the lecturer are mundane persons and their indulgence in the matter of Rasalila out of sheer foolishness will result in imitating Rudra who swallowed up an ocean of poison. There is nothing immorality in the transcendental activities of the lord neither it requires to be defended by any immoral man because simply by remembering the holy name of Krishna or by serving His lotus feet one can at once become a liberated person. (Bhag. 10/33/34) Besides that the result of reading or hearing the Rasalila in the devotional mood is stated (Bhag. 30/33/39) to become culminated in complete disappearance of the devotee's lust disease in the heart. Persons who are not pure devotees and must have therefore an impure heart full with dirty things of mundane affairs will not only try to defend Rasalila by interpretations or decry the dealings but also shall be ruined as by drinking poison a man goes to hell.