Shloka 10
Nārada’s Instruction to Vyāsa: The Defect of Bhakti-less Literature and the Mandate of Kṛṣṇa-kathā
न यद्वचश्चित्रपदं हरेर्यशो जगत्पवित्रं प्रगृणीत कर्हिचित् । तद्वायसं तीर्थमुशन्ति मानसा न यत्र हंसा निरमन्त्युशिक्क्षया: ॥ १० ॥
na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo jagat-pavitraṁ pragṛṇīta karhicit tad vāyasaṁ tīrtham uśanti mānasā na yatra haṁsā niramanty uśik-kṣayāḥ
Kata-kata yang tidak pernah memuji kemasyhuran Hari—yang menyucikan seluruh jagat—dianggap para suci sebagai tempat ziarah bagi gagak; di sana para paramahaṁsa tidak memperoleh kenikmatan rohani.
Crows and swans are not birds of the same feather, because of their different mental attitudes. The fruitive workers or passionate men are compared to the crows, whereas the all-perfect saintly persons are compared to the swans. The crows take pleasure in a place where garbage is thrown out, just as the passionate fruitive workers take pleasure in wine and woman and places for gross sense pleasure. The swans do not take pleasure in the places where crows are assembled for conferences and meetings. They are instead seen in the atmosphere of natural scenic beauty where there are transparent reservoirs of water nicely decorated with stems of lotus flowers in variegated colors of natural beauty. That is the difference between the two classes of birds.
FAQs
In 1.5.10, Nārada says such writing—though artistically composed—becomes a ‘tīrtha for crows,’ meaning it attracts worldly tastes, while pure devotees (haṁsas) find no spiritual delight in it because it lacks Hari-kathā.
Nārada instructs Vyāsa that the cure for his dissatisfaction is to present the spotless Bhāgavata message centered on Hari’s glories; mere literary brilliance without direct glorification of the Lord cannot fully benefit the soul.
Choose and create content—books, music, talks, media—that connects the heart to God (Hari-kīrtana). Even refined art becomes spiritually transformative when it carries sincere glorification of Kṛṣṇa and inspires devotion.