1046
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
[Canto 4, Ch. 24]
TRANSLATION
While traveling, the Pracetās happened to see a great reservoir of water which seemed almost as big as the ocean. The water of this lake was so calm and quiet that it seemed like the mind of a great soul, and its inhabitants, the aquatics, appeared to be very peaceful and happy to be under the protection of such a watery reservoir.
PURPORT
The word  sa samudra  means “near the sea.” The reservoir of water was like a bay, for it was not very far from the sea. The word  upa , meaning “more or less,” is used in many ways, as in the word  upapati , which indicates a husband “more or less,” that is to say a lover who is acting like a husband.  Upa  also means greater, smaller or nearer. Considering all these points, the reservoir of water which was seen by the Pracetās while they were traveling was actually a large bay or lake. And unlike the sea or ocean, which has turbulent waves, this reservoir was very calm and quiet. Indeed, the water was so clear that it seemed like the mind of some great soul. There may be many great souls— jñānīs ,  yogīs  and  bhaktas , or pure devotees, are also called great souls—but they are very rarely found. One can find many great souls amongst  yogīs  and  jñānīs , but a truly great soul, a pure devotee of the Lord who is fully surrendered to the Lord, is very rarely found ( sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ , Bg. 7.19). A devotee’s mind is always calm, quiet and desireless because he is always  anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam , and he has no desire other than to serve Kṛṣṇa as His personal servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover. Due to his association with Kṛṣṇa, a devotee is always very calm and cool. It is also significant that within that reservoir all the aquatics were also very calm and quiet. Because the disciples of a devotee have taken shelter of a great man, they become very calm and quiet and are not agitated by the waves of the material world.
This material world is often described as an ocean of nescience. In such an ocean, everything is agitated. The mind of a great devotee is also like an ocean or a very large lake, but there is no agitation. As stated in  Bhagavad-gītā :  vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana  (Bg. 2.41). Those who are fixed in the service of the Lord are not agitated by anything. It is also stated in  Bhagavad-gītā :  yasmin sthito na duḥkhena guruṇāpi vicālyate  (Bg. 6.22). Even if he suffers some reversals in life, a devotee is never agitated. Therefore whoever takes shelter of a great soul or a great devotee becomes pacified. In the  Caitanya-caritāmṛta  it is stated: