SB 2.8.5

प्रविष्टः कर्णरन्ध्रेण स्वानां भावसरोरुहम् ।
धुनोति शमलं कृष्णः सलिलस्य यथा शरत् ॥५॥

praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṇa
svānāṁ bhāva-saroruham
dhunoti śamalaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ
salilasya yathā śarat

praviṣṭaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigpravistah

after entering; entered; entered in; entered into; entering; entering among; enters; has entered; having entered; having entered into; He entered; thus being entered.—thus being entered; karṇaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkarṇa

and to the ears; ear; ears; Karṇa; of the ear; on the ears; the ear; the ears; through the ears; to the ear.-randhreṇaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigrandhreṇa

through the holes of the ears.—through the holes of the ears; svānāmplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsvanam

the sound.—according to one’s liberated position; bhāvaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigbhava

and by Lord Śiva; appearance; be; become; by Lord Śiva; compared to the world of nescience (birth, death, old age and disease); from birth; just become; Lord Śiva; material existence; O Lord Śiva; of material existence; of mundane existence; the distress of the repetition of birth and death; the repetition of birth and death; you become; You please be.—constitutional relationship; saraḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsarah

a lake; from the lake; going; lake; of a lake or reservoir of water; reservoir of water; the lake; water.-ruhamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigruham

like a lotus flower.—the lotus flower; dhunotiplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigdhunoti

cleans; cleanses; clears off; destroys; removes.—cleanses; śamalamplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigśamalam

accumulated sins; impious; material affection; material qualities like lust, anger, avarice and hankering; offenses; sinful reaction.—material qualities like lust, anger, avarice and hankering; kṛṣṇaḥplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigkrsnah

a kind of stag; Arjuna; black; even Lord Kṛṣṇa; Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana; Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa; Lord Krṣna; Lord Kṛṣṇa; Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself; Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead; Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; not different from Kṛṣṇa; the fortnight of the dark moon; the Lord; the Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa; the Supreme Personality, Kṛṣṇa; to Lord Kṛṣṇa.—Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; salilasyaplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigsalilasya

of the reservoir of waters; of the water.—of the reservoir of waters; yathāplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigyathā

according to; accordingly as; and as; anywhere; as (He likes); as; as advised by his father; as also; as far as possible; as far as; as follows; as has; as He desires; as if; as if it were; as is; as it; as it is; as it is now; as it should have been; as it was; as it was done; as it were; as many; as much; as much as (deserved); as much as; as requested; as they are; as they told it; as they were; as well as; as you; by which; development of austerity and penance; duly; even as; exactly as; exactly like; fittingly; for the forefathers and the Supreme Personality of Godhead; how; in any manner; in order that; in the matter of; in what way; in which manner; in which way; in whichever manner; inasmuch as; just as; just as if; just like; like; like Him; or just as; properly; since; so; so that; so you inform me; the manner in which; where; wherever; without deviation.—as it were; śaratplugin-autotooltip__small plugin-autotooltip_bigśarat

autumn; in autumn; in the autumn; of the autumn; the autumn season.—the autumn season. ¶

The sound incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul [i.e. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam], enters into the heart of a self-realized devotee, sits on the lotus flower of his loving relationship, and thus cleanses the dust of material association, such as lust, anger and hankering. Thus it acts like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water. ¶

It is said that a single pure devotee of the Lord can deliver all the fallen souls of the world. Thus one who is actually in the confidence of a pure devotee like Nārada or Śukadeva Gosvāmī and thus is empowered by one’s spiritual master, as Nārada was by Brahmājī, can not only deliver himself from the clutches of māyā, or illusion, but can deliver the whole world by his pure and empowered devotional strength. The comparison to the autumnal rain that falls on muddy reservoirs of water is very appropriate. During the rainy season, all the waters of the rivers become muddy, but in the month of July-August, the autumn season, when there is a slight rainfall, the muddy waters of the rivers all over the world become at once clear. By addition of some chemical, a small reservoir of water like that of a metropolitan waterworks tank can be cleared, but by such a tiny effort it is not possible to clear up all the reservoirs of water like the rivers. A powerful pure devotee of the Lord, however, can deliver not only his personal self but also many others in his association. ¶

In other words, the cleansing of the polluted heart by other methods (like the culture of empiric knowledge or mystic gymnastics) can simply cleanse one’s own heart, but devotional service to the Lord is so powerful that it can cleanse the hearts of the people in general, by the devotional service of the pure, empowered devotee. A true representative of the Lord like Nārada, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, Lord Caitanya, the six Gosvāmīs and later Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura and Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, etc., can deliver all people by their empowered devotional service. ¶

By sincere efforts to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam one realizes his constitutional relationship with the Lord in the transcendental humor of servitude, friendship, paternal affection or conjugal love, and by such self-realization one becomes situated at once in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Not only were all the pure devotees like Nārada self-realized souls, but they were engaged in preaching work automatically by spiritual impetus, and thus they delivered many poor souls entangled in the material modes. They became so powerful because they sincerely followed the Bhāgavatam principles by regular hearing and worshiping. By such actions the accumulated material lusts, etc., become cleansed by the personal endeavor of the Lord within the heart. The Lord is always within the heart of the living being, but He becomes manifested by one’s devotional service. ¶

Purification of the heart by culture of knowledge or mystic yoga may be all right for the time being for an individual person, but it is like the cleansing of a small quantity of stagnant water by chemical processes. Such clarification of water may stand for the time being and the sediments settle down, but by a slight agitation everything becomes muddy. The idea is that devotional service to the Lord is the only method of cleansing the heart for good. Whereas other methods may be superficially good for the time being, there is a risk of becoming muddy again due to agitation of the mind. Devotional service to the Lord, with specific attention for hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and always, is the best recommended method for liberation from the clutches of illusion. ¶