FolioCorpusBhagavad-gītā

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.50

తత్తేఽర్హత్తమ నమ: స్తుతికర్మపూజా: కర్మ స్మృతిశ్చరణయో: శ్రవణం కథాయామ్ । సంసేవయా త్వయి వినేతి షడఙ్గయా కిం భక్తిం జన: పరమహంసగతౌ లభేత ॥ ౫౦ ॥
tat te ’rhattama namaḥ stuti-karma-pūjāḥ
[tat te ’rhattama namah stuti-karma-poojaah]
karma smṛtiś caraṇayoḥ śravaṇaṁ kathāyām
[karma smritish charanayoh shravanam kathaayaam]
saṁsevayā tvayi vineti ṣaḍ-aṅgayā kiṁ
[samsevayaa tvayi vineti shad-angayaa kim]
bhaktiṁ janaḥ paramahaṁsa-gatau labheta
[bhaktim janah paramahamsa-gatau labheta]
tat — therefore te — unto You arhat-tama — O supreme of all worshipable persons namaḥ — respectful obeisances stuti-karma-pūjāḥ — worshiping Your Lordship by offering prayers and other devotional activities karma — activities being dedicated to You smṛtiḥ — constant remembrance caraṇayoḥ — of Your lotus feet śravaṇam — always hearing kathāyām — in topics (about You) saṁsevayā — such devotional service tvayi — unto You vinā — without iti — thus ṣaṭ-aṅgayā — having six different parts kim — how bhaktim — devotional service janaḥ — a person paramahaṁsa-gatau — obtainable by the paramahaṁsa labheta — may attain.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
tat te ’rhattama namaḥ stuti-karma-pūjāḥ
tat
therefore
te
unto You
arhat-tama
O supreme of all worshipable persons
karma smṛtiś caraṇayoḥ śravaṇaṁ kathāyām
namaḥ
respectful obeisances
stuti-karma-pūjāḥ
worshiping Your Lordship by offering prayers and other devotional activities
karma
activities being dedicated to You
smṛtiḥ
constant remembrance
caraṇayoḥ
of Your lotus feet
śravaṇam
always hearing
kathāyām
in topics (about You)
saṁsevayā tvayi vineti ṣaḍ-aṅgayā kiṁ
saṁsevayā
such devotional service
tvayi
unto You
vinā
without
iti
thus
ṣaṭ-aṅgayā
having six different parts
kim
how
bhaktiṁ janaḥ paramahaṁsa-gatau labheta
bhaktim
devotional service
janaḥ
a person
paramahaṁsa-gatau
obtainable by the paramahaṁsa
labheta
may attain.
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 You — offering prayers, dedicating all the results of activities, worshiping You, working on Your behalf, always remembering Your lotus feet and hearing about Your glories — who can achieve that which is meant for the paramahaṁsas?

The Vedas enjoin: nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena. 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 paramahaṁsa, one who has accepted the essence of everything. The results of bhakti are reserved for such a paramahaṁsa, and this stage cannot be obtained by any Vedic process other than devotional service. Other processes, such as jṣāna and yoga, can be successful only when mixed with bhakti. When we speak of jṣāna-yoga, karma-yoga and dhyāna-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.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O Lord worthy of worship! The six parts of bhakti are offering respects, praising you, deity worship, menial service, remembering your lotus feet and hearing about you. How can a person attain prema without these six types of bhakti to you, who also award liberation to the jṣānīs? This summarizes his prayers. Since one cannot know you by study and other methods, giving up efforts to know you, one should strive to perform sādhana for prema to you. This is the essence of all human goals. O Lord most worthy of worship! Offering respects to you, offering praises, deity worship, menial services to you, remembering your lotus feet, hearing about you—without these six aṅgas of bhakti, how can one attain prema? Without these, one cannot attain prema to you, who award liberation to the jṣānīs (parama-haṁsa-gatau). By bhakti-miśra-jṣāna, they attain liberation only. Therefore, since it the root of all success, give everyone service of the six aṅgas which will produce prema. If that is difficult, then give them liberation, and free them from suffering in saṁsāra. But I have been successful in service to your devotee. I do not worry.
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