168
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 10, Ch. 2]
considered the most powerful original existence or which is executed by  mahājanas ;  kurvanti —they make;  govatsa-padam —like the hoofprint of a calf;  bhava-abdhim —the great ocean of nescience.
TRANSLATION
O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one's meditation on Your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of  mahājanas  [great saints, sages and devotees]. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf.
PURPORT
The true mission in life is to cross the ocean of nescience, of repeated birth and death. Those in the darkness of ignorance, however, do not know this mission. Instead, being carried away by the waves of material nature ( prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ), they are undergoing the tribulations of  mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani , repeated birth and death. But persons who have achieved knowledge by the association of devotees follow the  mahājanas  ( mahat-kṛtena ). Such a person always concentrates his mind upon the lotus feet of the Lord and executes one or more of the nine varieties of devotional service ( śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam ). Simply by this process, one can cross the insurmountable ocean of nescience.
Devotional service is powerful in any form.  Śrī-viṣṇoḥ śravaṇe parīkṣid abhavad vaiyāsakiḥ kīrtane  ( Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu  1.2.265). According to this verse, Mahārāja Parīkṣit became liberated by fully concentrating his mind on hearing the Lord's holy name, attributes and pastimes. Similarly, Śukadeva Gosvāmī simply glorified the Lord, and by speaking on the subject matters of Kṛṣṇa that constitute the entire  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , he too was liberated. One may also be liberated simply by  sakhya , friendly behavior with the Lord. Such is the power of devotional service, as we learn from the examples set by the Lord's many pure devotees.