Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 22.18

ei saba sadhanera ati tuccha bala

krsna-bhakti vina taha dite nare phala

SYNONYMS

ei saba -- all these; sadhanera -- of methods of spiritual activities; ati -- very; tuccha -- insignificant; bala -- strength; krsna-bhakti -- devotional service to Lord Krsna; vina -- without; taha -- all these; dite -- to deliver; nare -- are not able; phala -- the desired result.

TRANSLATION

"Without devotional service, all other methods for spiritual self-realization are weak and insignificant. Unless one comes to the devotional service of Lord Krsna, jnana and yoga cannot give the desired results.

PURPORT

In the Vedic scriptures, stress is sometimes given to fruitive activity, speculative knowledge and the mystic yoga system. Although people are inclined to practice these processes, they cannot attain the desired results without being touched by krsna-bhakti, devotional service. In other words, the real desired result is to invoke dormant love for Krsna. Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.6) states:

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje

ahaituky apratihata yayatma suprasidati

"The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self." Karma, jnana and yoga cannot actually awaken love of Godhead. One has to take to the Lord's devotional service, and the more one is inclined to devotional service, the more he loses interest in other so-called achievements. Dhruva Maharaja went to practice mystic yoga to see the Lord personally, face to face, but when he developed an interest in devotional service, he saw that he was not being benefited by karma, jnana and yoga.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness