Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 6
Avadhūta’s Teachers: Python, Ocean, Moth, Bee, Elephant, Deer, Fish—and Piṅgalā’s Song of Detachment
समृद्धकामोहीनो वा नारायणपरो मुनि: । नोत्सर्पेत न शुष्येत सरिद्भिरिव सागर: ॥ ६ ॥
samṛddha-kāmo hīno vā nārāyaṇa-paro muniḥ notsarpeta na śuṣyeta saridbhir iva sāgaraḥ
มุนีผู้ยึดพระนารายณ์เป็นเป้าหมายชีวิต บางคราวได้ความมั่งคั่ง บางคราวประสบความขัดสน แต่ไม่ลิงโลดเมื่อรุ่งเรือง และไม่หดหู่เมื่อยากจน; ดุจมหาสมุทรที่ไม่เอ่อล้นในฤดูฝนและไม่แห้งเหือดในฤดูร้อน แม่น้ำจะไหลบ่าหรือเหือดลงก็ตาม
A sincere devotee of the Lord is always eager to meet the Lord and render Him transcendental service. He wants to remain fixed as an atom at the lotus feet of the Lord because Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Nārāyaṇa, is the reservoir of all pleasure. He rejoices when experiencing pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness and is morose when Kṛṣṇa is not present in his mind. In his dealings with the material world, a devotee cannot be disturbed by ordinary, materialistic people who sometimes insult him and accuse him of neglecting material sense gratification, just as the ocean cannot be disturbed by the innumerable rivers that enter into it. Sometimes lusty women approach a pure devotee, and sometimes speculative philosophers try to argue against the Personality of Godhead, but with all such ordinary people, a pure devotee is detached and undisturbed in his blissful Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
FAQs
This verse teaches that a sage devoted to Nārāyaṇa stays balanced whether desires are fulfilled or he has nothing—neither inflated by gain nor crushed by loss, like the ocean that remains full and steady despite rivers entering it.
He uses the ocean analogy to show inner fullness and stability: external circumstances may “flow in” like rivers, but a Nārāyaṇa-centered devotee is not disturbed by changing conditions.
Anchor your identity and purpose in devotion to God rather than outcomes; then treat success and failure as passing waves—practice gratitude without pride and endurance without despair.