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The Nectar of Devotion
that if a person simply acts in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and discharges devotional service, he is considered to be far, far better situated than all of those persons engaged in philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic and social welfare activities.
The same thing is still more emphatically confirmed in the  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam , Eleventh Canto, 5th Chapter, 37th verse, in which Karabhājana Muni addresses Mahārāj Nimi as follows: “My dear King, if somebody gives up his occupational duties as they are prescribed for the different  varṇas  and  āśramas , but takes complete shelter, surrendering himself unto the lotus feet of the Lord, such a person is no more a debtor, nor has he any obligation to perform the different kinds of activities we render to the great sages, ancestors, living entities and family and society members. Neither has he any need to bother executing the five kinds of  yajñas  [sacrifices] for becoming free from sinful contamination. Simply by discharging devotional service he is freed from all kinds of obligations.” The purport is that as soon as a man takes his birth, he is immediately indebted to so many sources. He is indebted to the great sages because he profits by reading their authoritative scriptures and books. For example, we take advantage of the books written by Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva has left for us all the  Vedas . Before Vyāsadeva’s writing, the Vedic literature was simply heard, and the disciples would learn the  mantras  quickly by hearing and not by reading. Later on, Vyāsadeva thought it wise to write down the  Vedas  because in this age people are short-memoried and unable to remember all the instructions given by the spiritual master. Therefore, he left all the Vedic knowledge in book form, such as the  Purāṇas ,  Vedānta ,  Mahābhārata  and  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam .
There are many other sages, like Śaṅkarācārya, Gautama Muni, Nārada Muni, etc., to whom we are indebted because we take advantage of their knowledge. Similarly, we are obliged to our forefathers because we take our birth in a particular family, where we take all advantages and inherit property. Therefore, we are indebted to the forefathers and have to offer them  piṇḍa  ( prasādam ) after they are dead. Similarly, to the people in general we are also indebted, as well as to our relatives, friends and