संसारसिन्धुमतिदुस्तरमुत्तितीर्षो-
र्नान्य: प्लवो भगवत: पुरुषोत्तमस्य ।
लीलाकथारसनिषेवणमन्तरेण
पुंसो भवेद् विविधदु:खदवार्दितस्य ॥
saṁsāra-sindhum ati-dustaram uttitīrṣor
nānyaḥ plavo bhagavato puruṣottamasya |
līlā-kathā-rasa-niṣevanam antareṇa
puṁso bhaved vividha-duḥkha-davārditasya ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 12.4.40; cited in Bhakti Sandarbha: 86)
“For a person tormented by the forest fire of various miseries who is desirous of crossing over the exceedingly difficult to cross ocean of saṁsāra, there is no vessel other than honoring the rasa of the narrations of the līlā of Bhagavān Puruṣottama.”
Commentary
eṣā ca līlā-kathā tad-bhakty-eka-puruṣārthibhir yathārtha śrotavyaiva; mokṣārthibhir apy avaśyaṁ śrotavyety āha—saṁsāreti |
(Excerpt from the Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“These narrations of līlā, truly, must be heard by those whose sole objective of life (puruṣārtha) is bhakti to him [i.e., Bhagavān]; they must be heard by seekers of mokṣa as well. Thus, Śukadeva Gosvāmī speaks this verse (saṁsāra …).”
anyaḥ plava uttaraṇa-sādhanaṁ na bhaved, upāyāntarāsambhāvāt tat-kathā-śravaṇam eva yathāśakti niṣevyam ity eṣā anyāsām api bhaktīnāṁ tat-pūrvakatvenaiva pravṛtter upāyāntarāsambhavatvaṁ yuktam |
(Excerpt from Bhakti Sandarbha: 86)
“[Śrīdhara Svāmīpāda comments:] ‘There shall be no other vessel [to cross over saṁsāra], that is, no other process (sādhana). Because of the non-existence of any other means, hearing narrations of him [i.e., Bhagavān] is to be engaged in to the extent of one’s ability.’ In this regard, the non-existence of any other means [to cross over saṁsāra] is determined by the propensity (pravṛtti) for all other bhaktis [i.e., all other types of bhakti-sādhana, that is, all means of crossing over saṁsāra] always being preceded by it [i.e., by first engaging in the bhakti-sādhana of hearing (śravaṇa), since without engaging in hearing, there is no scope for anyone to acquire the knowledge by which one can intentionally and properly engage in any other form of bhakti-sādhana].”