シュリーマド・バーガヴァタム 2.8.5

　主の純粋な献身者はたった一人で、世界の堕落した魂を全て救うことができると言われています。ナーラダやシュカデーヴァ・ゴースヴァーミのような純粋な献身者の信頼を得た者は、ブラフマージーからナーラダが力を授かったように、自らの精神指導者から力を授かることにより、純粋かつ強い力を得た献身奉仕によって自分だけでなく、世界中をマーヤ、つまり幻想の囚われから解放することができます。泥水の水たまりに降り注ぐ秋雨の例えは適切です。雨季の間、どの川の水も泥だらけになりますが、秋季の７月から８月の間、わずかに雨が降ることで世界中の川の泥水が一瞬にして透き通ります。何らかの化学薬品を少し加えることで、都市の上水道タンクのような小さな水源をきれいにすることはできますが、そのようなわずかな試みで川のような水源の全てをきれいにすることはできません。しかし、強い力を備えた主の純粋な献身者は、自身だけではなく、交流するなかでたくさんの人々を救うことができます。

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, parental 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.