244
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 1, Ch. 5]
son to receive it.  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  is the topmost theological science, and therefore it can react on the laymen as medicinal doses. Because it contains the transcendental activities of the Lord, there is no difference between the Lord and the literature. The literature is the factual literary incarnation of the Lord. So the laymen can hear the narration of the activities of the Lord. Thereby they are able to associate with the Lord and thus gradually become purified from material diseases. The expert devotees also can discover novel ways and means to convert the nondevotees in terms of particular time and circumstance. Devotional service is dynamic activity, and the expert devotees can find out competent means to inject it into the dull brains of the materialistic population. Such transcendental activities of the devotees for the service of the Lord can bring a new order of life to the foolish society of materialistic men. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His subsequent followers exhibited expert dexterity in this connection. By following the same method, one can bring the materialistic men of this age of quarrel into order for peaceful life and transcendental realization.
TEXT 17
त्यक्त्वा स्वधर्मं चरणाम्बुजं हरे- 
    भजनपक्रोऽथ पतेत्ततो यदि । 
    यत्र क्व वाभद्रमभूद्रुष्य किं 
    को वार्ध आप्तोऽभजतां स्वधर्मतः ॥१७॥
tyaktvā sva-dharmam caraṇāmbujam harer 
    bhajann apakvo'tha patet tato yadi 
    yatra kva vābhadram abhūd amuṣya kim 
    ko vārtha āpto'bhajatām sva-dharmataḥ
tyaktvā —having forsaken;  sva-dharmam —one's own occupational engagement;  caraṇā-ambujam —the lotus feet;  hareḥ —of Hari (the Lord);  bhajan —in the course of devotional service;  apakvaḥ —immature;  atha —for the matter of;  patet —falls down;  tataḥ —from that place;  yadi —if;  yatra —whereupon;  kva —what sort of;  vā —or (used sarcastically);  abhadram —unfavorable;  abhūt —shall happen;  amuṣya —of him;  kim —nothing;  kaḥ vā arthaḥ —what interest;  āptaḥ —obtained;  abhajatām —of the nondevotee;  sva-dharmataḥ —being engaged in occupational service.