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Rupa Gosvami wants to take shelter in the deep ocean and he doesn't care for the rivers

Expressions researched:
"he wants to take shelter of the ocean, deep into the ocean, and he doesn't care for the river"

Lectures

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

Rūpa Gosvāmī's described, describing herewith that he wants to take shelter of the ocean, deep into the ocean, and he doesn't care for the rivers. And the, what is called? Bharavagni (?)? There is some whirling pool in the water. That is compared with the arguments. Sometimes these logicians, they create argumental calamity in the process of devotional service. But Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends that we should not be deviated by the arguments, karmīs, jñānīs and yogis. Let them do their own business. We do not care for them. We give them respect as far as possible, but we don't, don't accept the path of karma-jñāna-yoga.


The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 27, 1972:

Pradyumna: "Let us offer our respectful obeisances to all the great devotees and ācāryas, or holy teachers, who are compared with sharks in the great ocean of nectar and who do not care for the various rivers of liberation. Impersonalists are very fond of merging into the supreme, like rivers that come down and merge into the ocean. The ocean can be compared with liberation and the rivers with all the different paths of liberation."

"The impersonalists are dwelling in the river water, which eventually comes to mix with the ocean. They have no information, however, that within the ocean, as within the rivers, there are innumerable aquatic living entities. The sharks who dwell in the ocean do not care for the rivers which are gliding down into it."

Prabhupāda: Yes. The shark, big fish, shark, big body, they have no place to come into the river, come back. There is no place. Big crocodile, big shark, they do not come to the river. They constantly remain in the ocean.

Go on. Yes.

Pradyumna: "The devotees eternally live in the ocean of devotional service, and they do not care for the rivers. In other words, those who are pure devotees always remain in the ocean of transcendental loving service to the Lord and have no business with the other processes, which are compared to the rivers that only gradually come to the ocean."

"Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī prays to his spiritual master, Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī, for the protection of Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, the ocean of the pure nectar of devotional service, from the argumentative logicians who unnecessarily meddle in the science of service to the Lord. He compares their arguments and logic to volcanic eruptions in the midst of the ocean."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet (Mahābhārata, Bhīṣma parva 5.22). Simply by arguments, logic, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. That is the Vedic injunction. Tarko apratiṣṭho. You cannot establish the truth by simple logic and arguments. You may be very great logician, but somebody may come who is greater logician than you, and he defeats you. That is going on. Tarko apratiṣṭha śrutayo vibhinnām.

Now, if you read the Vedas, you'll find some contradiction. Not contradiction; but to the neophyte, it appears to be contradiction. Just like we have cited the example that animal stool is impure, but cow dung is pure. So by logic you can say that, "Cow dung is also the stool of an animal. How it becomes pure?" But in Vedas you'll find such things.

Therefore by simple studying, without surrendering yourself to the spiritual master, you'll find all these contradiction and you'll be bewildered. Śrutayo vibhinnā. They are not vibhinnā, but to our limited knowledge, sometimes they appear as vibhinnam, different. Śrutayo vibhinnaṁ nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. And you won't find a philosopher who does not agree . . . who does not disagree with other philosophers.

Therefore dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). We have to follow the footsteps of great ācāryas. That is the way. These mahājanas are described in the śāstra like Lords Brahmā, Lord Śiva, svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ kapilaḥ kumāro manuḥ (SB 6.3.20). They are all mentioned.

So you follow any one of these great personalities. Brahmā . . . Brahmā is the greatest personality within this universe, and he has got his sampradāya, which is known as Brahmā-sampradāya. Similarly, Lord Śiva has also a sampradāya, which is called Rudra-sampradāya. Similarly, Nārada-Pañcarātra, Kumāra-sampradāya. So follow the sampradāya. Sampradāya vihīnā te mantrās te viphalaṁ matāḥ (Padma Purāṇa). If you do not follow any bona fide sampradāya, then your path of spiritual advancement will be baffled. You will simply waste your time. Viphalaṁ matāḥ. So we should follow the footsteps of great ācāryas. Then our progress is positive. There is no fear.

So to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead . . . just like Rūpa Gosvāmī's described . . . describing herewith that he wants to take shelter of the ocean, deep into the ocean, and he doesn't care for the river. And the . . . what is called? Bharavagni ? There is some whirling pool in the water. That is compared with the arguments. Sometimes these logicians, they create argumental calamity in the process of devotional service.

But Rūpa Gosvāmī recommends that we should not be deviated by the arguments, karmīs, jñānīs and yogīs. Let them do their own business. We do not care for them. We give them respect as far as possible, but we don't . . . don't accept the path of karma-jñāna-yoga. Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167).

Jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (Brs. 1.1.11). We should not be deviated by the process of karma-jñāna-yoga. That is pure devotional service, śuddha-bhakti. Śuddha-bhakti. We should stay. We should fix up in śuddha-bhakti path. That is the recommendation of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Page Title:Rupa Gosvami wants to take shelter in the deep ocean and he doesn't care for the rivers
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:23 of Jul, 2009
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1