Text 25]
Lord Brahmā Satisfies Lord Śiva
183
airplanes to bathe in the rivers Nandā and Alakanandā. It is significant that these rivers, Nandā and Alakanandā, are sanctified by the dust of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, just as the Ganges is sacred because its water emanates from the toes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, so whenever water or anything is in touch with devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is purified and spiritualized. The rules and regulations of devotional service are based on this principle: anything in touch with the lotus feet of the Lord is immediately freed from all material contamination. The damsels of the heavenly planets, polluted by thoughts of sex life, come down to bathe in the sanctified rivers and enjoy sprinkling water on their husbands.
Two words are very significant in this connection.  Rati-karśita  means that the damsels become morose after sex enjoyment. Although they accept sex enjoyment as a bodily demand, afterwards they are not happy. Another significant point in this connection is that Lord Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is described here as  tīrtha-pāda .  Tīrtha  means “sanctified place,” and  pāda  means “lotus feet of the Lord.” People go to a sanctified place to free themselves from all sinful reaction. In other words, those who are devoted to the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, automatically become sanctified. The Lord’s lotus feet are called  tīrtha-pāda  because under their protection there are hundreds and thousands of saintly persons who sanctify the sacred places of pilgrimage. Śrīla Nārottamadāsa Thākur, a great  ācārya  of the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava Sampradāya, advises us not to travel to different places of pilgrimage. Undoubtedly, it is troublesome to go from one place to another, but one who is intelligent can take shelter of the lotus feet of Govinda and thereby be automatically sanctified as the result of his pilgrimage. Anyone who is fixed in the service of the lotus feet of Govinda is called  tīrtha-pāda ; he does not need to travel on various pilgrimages, for he can enjoy all the benefits of such travel simply by engaging in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord. Such a pure devotee who has implicit faith in the lotus feet of the Lord can create sacred places in any part of the world where he decides to remain.  Tīrthīkurvanti tīrthāni  ( Bhāg.  1.13.10). The places are sanctified due to the presence of pure devotees; any place automatically becomes a place of pilgrimage if either the Lord or His pure devotee remains or resides there. In other words, such a pure devotee, who is engaged one hundred percent in the service of the Lord, can remain anywhere in the universe, and that part of the universe immediately becomes a sacred place where he can peacefully render service to the Lord as the Lord desires.