SB 12.4.40 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

संसारसिन्धुमतिदुस्तरमुत्तितीर्षो- र्नान्य: प्लवो भगवत: पुरुषोत्तमस्य । लीलाकथारसनिषेवणमन्तरेण पुंसो भवेद् विविधदु:खदवार्दितस्य ॥ ४० ॥

Verse text

saṁsāra-sindhum ati-dustaram uttitīrṣor nānyaḥ plavo bhagavataḥ puruṣottamasya līlā-kathā-rasa-niṣevaṇam antareṇa puṁso bhaved vividha-duḥkha-davārditasya

Synonyms

saṁsāra — of material existence ; sindhum — the ocean ; ati — dustaram — impossible to cross ; uttitīrṣoḥ — for one who desires to cross ; na — there is not ; anyaḥ — any other ; plavaḥ — boat ; bhagavataḥ — of the Personality of Godhead ; puruṣa — uttamasya — the Supreme Lord ; līlā — kathā — of the narrations of the pastimes ; rasa — to the transcendental taste ; niṣevaṇam — the rendering of service ; antareṇa — apart from ; puṁsaḥ — for a person ; bhavet — there can be ; vividha — various ; duḥkha — of material miseries ; dava — by the fire ; arditasya — who is distressed .

Translation

For a person who is suffering in the fire of countless miseries and who desires to cross the insurmountable ocean of material existence, there is no suitable boat except that of cultivating devotion to the transcendental taste for the narrations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s pastimes.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

For a person who is suffering in the fire of countless miseries and even for persons who desires to cross the insurmountable ocean of material existence, there is no suitable boat except cultivating the nectar of the narrations of the Supreme Lord's pastimes. The topics of the Lord are the life-sustaining medicine for all types of devotees, and even for those desiring liberation. Even those who desire liberation cannot achieve liberation without these topics. That is described in this verse. Or this is the answer to the question you asked at the beginning “What should a dying person do?” Other than food, there is nothing that can satisfy intolerable hunger. There is no other means of crossing material existence, such as jṣāna. That would be like giving a garland and sandalwood to a person suffering from hunger. This will be explained later. You should not accept jṣāna, by which I cover the great secret of bhakti, as the recommended process. Rasa in this verse means sweetness produced by the topics of the Lord’s pastimes. One should not prescribe any other medicine except this nectar for persons suffering in the great fire of material life.

Purport

Although it is not possible to completely describe the pastimes of the Lord, even a partial appreciation can save one from the unbearable miseries of material existence. The fever of material existence can be removed only by the medicine of the holy name and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, which are perfectly narrated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.