Association with pure devotees is so powerful that hearing Krishna's glories once transforms consciousness permanently.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.10.11–12 — June 25, 1973, Māyāpur 730625SB-MAYAPUR [38:23 Minutes] SB-01.10.11–12_730625SB-MAYAPUR Pradyumna: [leads chanting of verse] [Prabhupāda and devotees repeat] sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥsaṅgo hātuṁ notsahate budhaḥ kīrtyamānaṁ yaśo yasya sakṛd ākarṇya rocanam tasmin nyasta-dhiyaḥ pārthāḥ saheran virahaṁ katham darśana-sparśa-saṁlāpaśayanāsana-bhojanaiḥ [SB 1.10.11-12] [break] sat-saṅgāt—by association of pure devotees; mukta-duḥsaṅgaḥ—freed from bad materialistic association; hātum—to give up; na utsahate—never attempts; budhaḥ—one who has understood the Lord; kīrtyamānam—glorifying; yaśaḥ—fame; yasya—whose; sakṛt—once only; ākarṇya—hearing only; rocanam—pleasing; tasmin—unto Him; nyasta-dhiyaḥ—one who has given up his mind unto Him; pārthāḥ—the sons of Pṛthā; saheran—can tolerate; viraham—separation; katham—how; darśana—seeing eye to eye; sparśa—touching; saṁlāpa—conversing; śayana—sleeping; āsana—sitting; bhojanaiḥ—dining together. [02:25] Translation: "The intelligent, who have understood the Supreme Lord in association with pure devotees and have become freed from bad, materialistic association, can never avoid hearing the glories of the Lord, even though they have heard them only once. How, then, could the Pāṇḍavas tolerate His separation, for they had been intimately associated with His person, seeing Him eye to eye, touching Him, conversing with Him, and sleeping, sitting and dining with Him?" Prabhupāda: satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ taj-joṣaṇād āśv apavarga-vartmani śraddhā ratir bhaktir prasīdati [SB 3.25.25] Satāṁ prasaṅgāt. Sat-saṅga.
Sat-saṅga. Sat means devotees, and asat means nondevotees. Even in moral instruction of Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, he advises: tyaja durjana-saṁsargaṁ bhaja sādhu-samāgamam. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita adv...
Although he was a politician, a great politician, still, a learned brāhmaṇa and knowing all moral instruction, he gives this advice: tyaja durjana-saṁsargam. This is the crucial point of advancement in human life. Tyaja durjana-saṁsargam: "Try to avoid." Not try; must. You must avoid the association of the materialistic persons. Materialistic person means those who are after money and woman.
That's all. They are materialistic. Those persons, simply hankering after money and woman, they are materialistic. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised to associate with this class of men, hankering after money and women, it is better..., death is better, preferred, than to associate. When He was requested to see King Pratāparudra—because he was king, he's supposed to be always in association with money and women—He refused to see him: "No, I cannot see the King." When He refused to see, He quoted one verse: bhava-sāgarasya, niṣkiñcanasya bhava-sāgarasya.
Niṣkiñcanasya jigamiṣor bhava-sāgarasya [Cc. Madhya 11.8]. People do not know what is bhava-sāgara. They do not know even. But in Vedic literature, this is the first instruction, how to get out of this bhava-sindhu, bhava-sāgara, material ocean.
The whole universe is also a ocean. And all these planets, they are called dvīpa. Just like this planet is called Jambudvīpa, Bhārata-varṣa. Actually it is like dvīpa.
Nowadays, those who are flying in the sky, they're going from one island to another island, one planet to another planet. So when there is called dvīpa, there must be relative term, the ocean, or the sea. So whole this universe, this planets, they are called dvīpa. Therefore they are floating in the ocean of air.