Text 11]
Nārada Instructs the Pracetās
1569
śrutena —by Vedic education;  tapasā —by austerities;  vā —or;  kim —what is the meaning;  vacobhiḥ —by words;  citta —of consciousness;  vṛttibhiḥ —by the occupations;  buddhyā —by intelligence;  vā —or;  kim —what is the use;  nipuṇayā —expert;  balena —by bodily strength;  indriya-rādhasā —by power of the senses.
TRANSLATION
Without devotional service, what is the meaning of severe austerities, the process of hearing, the power of speech, the power of mental speculation, elevated intelligence, strength and the power of the senses?
PURPORT
From the Upaniṣads we learn:
nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūm svām
(Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 3.2.3)
Our relationship with the Supreme Lord is never advanced by simple study of the  Vedas . There are many Māyāvādī  sannyāsīs  fully engaged in studying the  Vedas ,  Vedānta-sūtra  and  Upaniṣads , but unfortunately they cannot grasp the real essence of knowledge. In other words, they do not know the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What, then, is the use in studying all the  Vedas , if one cannot grasp the essence of the  Vedas ,  Kṛṣṇa ? The Lord confirms in  Bhagavad-gītā ,  vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ : “By all the  Vedas , I am to be known.” (Bg. 15.15)
There are many religious systems wherein penances and austerities are greatly stressed, but at the end no one understands  Kṛṣṇa , the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is therefore no point in such penance ( tapasya ). If one has actually approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he does not need to undergo severe austerities. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is understood through the process of devotional service. In the Ninth Chapter of  Bhagavad-gītā  devotional service is explained as  rāja-guhyam , the king of all confidential knowledge. There are many good reciters of Vedic literatures, and they recite works such as the  Rāmāyaṇa ,  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam  and  Bhagavad-gītā . Sometimes these professional readers manifest very good scholarship and exhibit word jugglery. Unfortunately they are never devotees of the Supreme Lord. Consequently