TEXT 50
tat te rhattama namah stuti-karma-pujah
karma smrtis caranayoh sravanam kathayam
samsevaya tvayi vineti sad-angaya kim
bhaktim janah paramahamsa-gatau labheta
SYNONYMS
tattherefore; teunto You; arhat-tamaO supreme of all worshipable persons; namahrespectful obeisances; stuti-karma-pujahworshiping Your Lordship by offering prayers and other devotional activities; karmaactivities being dedicated to You; smrtihconstant remembrance; caranayohof Your lotus feet; sravanamalways hearing; kathayamin topics (about You); samsevayasuch devotional service; tvayiunto You; vinawithout; itithus; sat-angayahaving six different parts; kimhow; bhaktimdevotional service; janaha person; paramahamsa-gatauobtainable by the paramahamsa; labhetamay attain.
TRANSLATION
Therefore, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, the best of all persons to whom prayers are offered, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because without rendering six kinds of devotional service unto Youoffering prayers, dedicating all the results of activities, worshiping You, working on Your behalf, always remembering Your lotus feet and hearing about Your glorieswho can achieve that which is meant for the paramahamsas?
PURPORT
The Vedas enjoin: nayam atma pravacanena labhyo na medhaya na bahuna srutena. One cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by studying the Vedas and offering prayers. Only by the grace of the Supreme Lord can one understand Him. The process of understanding the Lord, therefore, is bhakti. Without bhakti, simply following the Vedic injunctions to understand the Absolute Truth will not be helpful at all. The process of bhakti is understood by the paramahamsa, one who has accepted the essence of everything. The results of bhakti are reserved for such a paramahamsa, and this stage cannot be obtained by any Vedic process other than devotional service. Other processes, such as jnana and yoga, can be successful only when mixed with bhakti. When we speak of jnana-yoga, karma-yoga and dhyana-yoga the word yoga indicates bhakti. Bhakti-yoga, or buddhi-yoga, executed with intelligence and full knowledge, is the only successful method for going back home, back to Godhead. If one wants to be liberated from the pangs of material existence, he should take to devotional service for quick attainment of this goal.

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