Eknath Easwaran's Commentary
In one of his inimitableimages, Sri Ramakrishna says that a great incarnation is like a mighty ship that takes people across the sea. Jesus the Christ, the Buddha, and Sri Krishna can be compared to the Queen Elizabeth, able to cross the sea of life to what the Buddha calls the “other shore,” beyond change and death. But little people like you or me can at least serve as humble rafts.
We don’t have the spiritual capital to build a big boat, but we can improvise by picking up a few planks, maybe a piece of driftwood or two, and tying it all together well enough to float on the sea. That way we may at least be able to carry across our families and friends. Nobody has an excuse to say he or she lacks the wherewithal to cross the sea of life; we can always go on a raft.