sri-bhagavan uvaca
devanam guna-linganam
anusravika-karmanam
sattva evaika-manaso
vrttih svabhaviki tu ya
animitta bhagavati
bhaktih siddher gariyasi
sri-bhagavan uvaca - the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; devanam - of the senses or of the presiding deities of the senses; guna-linganam - which detect sense objects; anusravika - according to scripture; karmanam - which work; sattve - unto the mind or unto the Lord; eva - only; eka-manasah - of a man of undivided mind; vrttih - inclination; svabhaviki - natural; tu - in fact; ya - which; animitta - without motive; bhagavati - to the Personality of Godhead; bhaktih - devotional service; siddheh - than salvation; gariyasi - better.
Lord Kapila said: The senses are symbolic representations of the demigods, and their natural inclination is to work under the direction of the Vedic injunctions. As the senses are representatives of the demigods, so the mind is the representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The mind's natural duty is to serve. When that service spirit is engaged in devotional service to the Personality of Godhead, without any motive, that is far better even than salvation.
- superior to other systems (SB 4.31.12, 11.15.*)
kim va yogena sankhyena
nyasa-svadhyayayor api
kim va sreyobhir anyais ca
na yatratma-prado harih
kim - what is the use; va - or; yogena - by mystic yoga practice; sankhyena - by the study of Sankhya philosophy; nyasa - by accepting sannyasa; svadhyayayoh - and by study of Vedic literature; api - even; kim - what is the use; va - or; sreyobhih - by auspicious activities; anyaih - other; ca - and; na - never; yatra - where; atma-pradah - full satisfaction of self; harih - the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Transcendental practices that do not ultimately help one realize the Supreme Personality of Godhead are useless, be they mystic yoga practices, the analytical study of matter, severe austerity, the acceptance of sannyasa, or the study of Vedic literature. All these may be very important aspects of spiritual advancement, but unless one understands the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, all these processes are useless.
PURPORT:
In Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 24.109) it is said:
bhakti vina kevala jnane `mukti' nahi haya
bhakti sadhana kare yei `prapta-brahma-laya'
Impersonalists do not take to devotional service, but take to other practices, such as the analytical study of the material elements, the discrimination between matter and spirit, and the mystic yoga system. These are beneficial only insofar as they are complementary to devotional service. Caitanya Mahaprabhu therefore told Sanatana Gosvami that without a touch of devotional service, jnana, yoga and Sankhya philosophy cannot give one the desired results. The impersonalists wish to merge into the Supreme Brahman; however, merging into the Supreme Brahman also requires a touch of devotional service. The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases - impersonal Brahman, Paramatma and the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All these require a touch of devotional service. Sometimes it is actually seen that these Mayavadis also chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, although their motive is to merge into the Brahman effulgence of the Absolute. The yogis also at times take to chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, but their purpose is different from that of the bhaktas. In all processes - karma, jnana or yoga - bhakti is required. That is the purport of this verse.
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