FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.3.7

अथानयापि न भवत इज्ययोरुभारभरया समुचितमर्थमिहोपलभामहे ॥ ७ ॥
athānayāpi na bhavata ijyayoru-bhāra-bharayā samucitam artham ihopalabhāmahe.
[athaanayaapi na bhavata ijyayoru-bhaara-bharayaa samuchitam artham ihopalabhaamahe.]
Word-for-word
atha — otherwise anayā — this api — even na — not bhavataḥ — of Your exalted personality ijyayā — by performance of sacrifice urubhāra-bharayā — encumbered by much paraphernalia samucitam — required artham — use iha — here upalabhāmahe — we can see.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
athānayāpi na bhavata ijyayoru-bhāra-bharayā samucitam artham ihopalabhāmahe.
atha
otherwise
anayā
this
api
even
na
not
bhavataḥ
of Your exalted personality
ijyayā
by performance of sacrifice
urubhāra-bharayā
encumbered by much paraphernalia
samucitam
required
artham
use
iha
here
upalabhāmahe
we can see.
We have engaged in Your worship with many things and have offered sacrifices unto You, but we think that there is no need for so many arrangements to please Your Lordship.
Purport

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that if one is offered varied foods but has no appetite, the offering has no value. In a big sacrificial ceremony there may be many things accumulated to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but if there is no devotion, attachment or love for the Lord, the arrangement is useless. The Lord is complete in Himself, and He does not need anything from us. However, if we offer Him a little water, a flower and a tulasi leaf, He will accept them. Bhakti, devotional service, is the main way to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not a question of arranging huge sacrifices. The priests were regretful, thinking that they were not on the path of devotional service and that their sacrifice was not pleasing to the Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
We see that you do not have any use for our elaborate worship. We do not have devotion. How then can you be satisfied? We see that you have no use for this worship with many parts.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Elaborate arrangements with no appetite of love behind them are like a feast laid for someone who is not hungry. Without bhakti, the most polished sacrifice falls flat. Cultivate the appetite first.
Reflection Questions
  • Where are you piling up spiritual activity without the underlying hunger that gives it value?
  • What would help you reawaken genuine taste for the Lord, beneath all the activity?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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