178 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 5, Ch. 18
feat nated ate aad We
TAI Aa FIAT TeTM AZ 112311
harir hi saksad bhagavan saririnam
atma jhasanam iva toyam ipsitam
hitvéd mahams tam yadi sajate grhe
tadé mahattvarh vayasd dampatinam
harih—the Lord; hi—certainly; saksadt—directly; bhagavan—the
Supreme Personality of Godhead; saririndm—of all living entities who
have accepted material bodies; adtma—the life and soul; jhasandm—of
the aquatics; iva—like; toyam—the vast water; ipsitam—is desired;
hitva—giving up; mahaén—a great personality; tam—Him; yadi—if;
sajjate—becomes attached; grhe—to household life; tada—at that time;
mahattvam—greatness; vayasi—by age; dam-patindm—of the hus-
band and wife.
TRANSLATION
Just as aquatics always desire to remain in the vast mass of water,
all conditioned living entities naturally desire to remain in the vast
existence of the Supreme Lord. Therefore if someone very great
by material calculations fails to take shelter of the Supreme Soul
but instead becomes attached to material household life, his great-
ness is like that of a young, low-class couple. One who is too at-
tached to material life loses all good spiritual qualities.
PURPORT
Although crocodiles are very fierce animals, they are powerless when
they venture out of the water onto land. When they are out of the water,
they cannot exhibit their original power. Similarly, the all-pervading
Supersoul, Paramatma, is the source of all living entities, and all living
entities are part and parcel of Him. When the living entity remains in
contact with the all-pervading Vasudeva, the Personality of Godhead, he
manifests his spiritual power, exactly as the crocodile exhibits its
strength in the water. In other words, the greatness of the living entity
can be perceived when he is in the spiritual world, engaged in spiritual
