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Śrī-Caitanya-caritāmṛta
jñānataḥ sulabhā muktir bhuktir yajñādi-puṇyataḥ seyam sādhana-sāhasrair hari-bhaktiḥ sudurlabhā
SYNONYMS
jñānataḥ —by cultivation of knowledge;  su-labhā —easily obtainable;  muktiḥ —liberation;  bhuktiḥ —sense enjoyment;  yajña-ādi —performance of sacrifices, etc.;  puṇyataḥ —and by performing pious activities;  sā —that;  iyam —this;  sādhana-sāhasraiḥ —execution of thousands of sacrifices;  hari-bhaktiḥ —devotional service;  sudurlabhā —is very rare.
TRANSLATION
“By cultivating philosophical knowledge one can understand his spiritual position and thus be liberated, and by performing sacrifices and pious activities one can achieve sense gratification in a higher planetary system, but the devotional service of the Lord is so rare that even by executing hundreds and thousands of such sacrifices one cannot obtain it.”
PURPORT
Prahlāda Mahārāja instructs:
matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā mitho 'bhipadyeta gṛha-vratānām (Bhāg. 7.5.30)
naiṣām matis tāvad urukramānghrim spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad arthaḥ mahīyasām pāda-rajo 'bhiṣekam niṣkiñcanānām na vṛṇīta yāvat (Bhāg. 7.5.32)
These ślokas are to be discussed. Their purport is that one cannot obtain  Kṛṣṇa-bhakti , or the devotional service of the Lord, by official execution of the Vedic rituals. One has to approach a pure devotee. Narottama dāsa Thākura sings,  chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā : “Who has been elevated without rendering service to a pure Vaiṣṇava?” It is the statement of Prahlāda Mahārāja that unless one is able to accept the dust from the lotus feet of a pure Vaiṣṇava there is no possibility of his achieving the platform of devotional service. That is the secret. The above-mentioned  Tantra-vacana , quoted from the  Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu , is our perfect guidance in this connection.
TEXT 18
कृष्ण यदि दूध्ये तत्क्षणे मुक्ति पित्रा । कश्च श्रेयचक्रि ना मेन राधेन नूकाहिरा ॥ ১৮ ॥