114 Srimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 6, Ch. 9
Ratvaterad f arfea:
qaTReatatattd eT NR
avismitam tam paripimma-kémam
svenaiva labhena samam praséntam
vinopasarpaty aparam hi balisah
$va-ldngulendtititarti sindhum
avismitam —who is never struck with wonder; tam—Him; paripiima-
kamam—who is fully satisfied; svena—by His own; eva—indeed;
labhena—achievements; samam—equipoised; = prasantam—very
steady; vind—without; upasarpati—approaches; aparam—another;
hi—indeed; balisah—a fool; sva—of a dog; langulena—by the tail;
atititarti—wants to cross; sindhum—the sea.
TRANSLATION
Free from all material conceptions of existence and never won-
derstruck by anything, the Lord is always jubilant and fully
satisfied by His own spiritual perfection. He has no material desig-
nations, and therefore He is steady and unattached. That Supreme
Personality of Godhead is the only shelter of everyone. Anyone
desiring to be protected by others is certainly a great fool who
desires to cross the sea by holding the tail of a dog.
PURPORT
A dog can swim in the water, but if a dog dives in the ocean and some-
one wants to cross the ocean by holding the dog’s tail, he is certainly fool
number one. A dog cannot cross the ocean, nor can a person cross the
ocean by catching a dog’s tail. Similarly, one who desires to cross the
ocean of nescience should not seek the shelter of any demigod or anyone
else but the fearless shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Srimad-Bhégavatam (10.14.58) therefore says:
samasrita ye pada-pallava-plavam
mahat-padam punya-yaso-murareh
