When I was a child, I used to participate in swimming competitions during the summer. Many children would come for swimming camps. Some would be very hesitant to enter the water. Others would be curious, while a few would be excited and eager to learn swimming.

Similarly, on the path of bhakti, different people stand at different stages in their relationship with these spiritual waters.

Fearing the Waters

Some people have a phobia of water. They are not even willing to come close to it.

Similarly, there are those who fear the waters of devotional service. Some reject them altogether. The impersonalists do not wish to plunge into the ocean of devotional service and instead remain satisfied with the tiny puddles of happiness attained by absorption in Brahman.

Materialists fear these waters for a different reason. They worry that entering devotional life will force them to give up their enjoyment. They do not realize that a far higher and deeper happiness awaits them.

There is a story narrated by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura. A man was repeatedly invited by his friend to cross the Ganges and visit the birthplace of Lord Caitanya. Again and again, the friend requested him, but the man always found some excuse.

“What if the boat sinks? What if strong winds arise? What if the waters suddenly increase?”

After exhausting every possible fear, he finally declared that he would go only when the Ganges dried up completely.

His friend immediately understood that the problem was not merely fear of the water. The man simply had no desire to enter it at all.

Similarly, many people remain distant from devotional service, not because they lack opportunity, but because they are unwilling to take the first step.

Testing the Waters

I remember that during winter the water in our outdoor swimming pool would become extremely cold. Before entering, I would cautiously place my toes in the water to test the temperature. And it would be chilling!

Some people approach devotional service in the same way.

They make the effort to come close. They wear the proper costume. They stand near the water. Yet they only wish to test it.

Such an approach is similar to licking a honey bottle from the outside. One may appreciate something about Krishna consciousness, but without truly entering it, one cannot taste its sweetness.

Sometimes, even in our services, we merely test the waters. We participate partially, but hesitate to commit ourselves fully. There are people who come to the temple regularly, yet do not wish to embrace a serious level of sādhana or service. They remain comfortable in their own world, pursuing their own plans and sense gratification while keeping devotional life at a safe distance. Such an effort cannot enable one taste the real joy of bhakti.

Entering the Waters

As faith deepens, one develops the desire to enter the waters of devotional service.

One wishes to swim. One desires to explore the treasures hidden beneath the surface. There may still be some hesitation about going very deep, but there is genuine participation.

Uddhava was already a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He had entered the waters of ecstatic devotional service and was swimming happily in the bliss of Krishna’s association.

He wore ornaments given by Krishna, garments worn by Krishna, garlands honored by Krishna, and ate the remnants of Krishna’s meals. Accepting Krishna’s remnants was his life and soul. His consciousness was so united with Krishna’s service that he almost appeared like Krishna Himself.

Yet Krishna had a higher plan. He did not simply want Uddhava to enter the waters of devotional service. He wanted him to experience what it meant to become completely submerged within them.

Therefore, Krishna sent Uddhava to Vṛndāvana.

Submerging in the Waters

Upon entering Vṛndāvana, Uddhava encountered the Vrajavāsīs, who were totally immersed in love for Krishna.

Their thoughts, desires, emotions, and very existence revolved around Him. Their consciousness had become completely absorbed in Krishna.

Even in this material world, historians and ethnographers who wish to study a particular culture often immerse themselves fully within it. They learn the language, adopt the customs, wear the clothing, and live among the people to gain firsthand experience of their way of life. And they may even change their entire life based on their experiences!!

Similarly, Uddhava entered Vṛndāvana carrying a message from Krishna. Yet he soon realized that the message was not really for the gopīs. It was for him. The experience transformed him.

Witnessing the unparalleled love of the residents of Vṛndāvana, Uddhava became so deeply moved that he desired to give up his own identity and become a creeper in Vṛndāvana, simply to receive the dust of the gopīs’ lotus feet.

His mind, body, and heart became completely captivated by their devotion. He was no longer merely swimming in the ocean of devotional service. He had become submerged within it.

Interestingly, Uddhava is described as a devotee who is painfully overwhelmed with love of God, a state beyond total immersion in God’s love.

jnāna-bhaktās tu teṣv eke
śuddha-bhaktāḥ pare ’pare
prema-bhaktāḥ pare prema-
parāḥ premāturāḥ pare
Among the Supreme Lord’s devotees, some are devotees attached to knowledge, and others are pure. Still others are situated in love of God, others are immersed in love of God, and yet others are painfully overwhelmed by love of God.

The Need for an Immersive Experience

On the path of Krishna consciousness, we too require such an immersive experience.

I was reflecting on some of our introductory courses for newcomers. Some times, we invite participants to live a monk-like lifestyle for fifteen days. Many arrive simply to test the waters. Yet through the association of devotees, some of them gradually enter those waters and begin experiencing the joy of devotional life.

Some become inspired enough to remain connected to devotional service for the rest of their lives.

Yet there are a rare few who wish to do more than simply enter the waters. They desire to submerge themselves completely in devotional service. And that is ultimately the goal of life.

That is the purpose behind Mahāprabhu’s advent in this world — to grant every living being the opportunity for a fully immersive experience of divine love.

The question, therefore, is not whether we will stand at the shore, test the waters, or even enter them. The real question is whether we are willing to become completely submerged in the nectarean ocean of devotion.