Text 50]
Prahlāda Pacifies the Lord with Prayers
271
saṁsevayā tvayi vineti ṣaḍ-aṅgayā kiṁ bhaktiṁ janaḥ paramahaṁsa-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.
TRANSLATION
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?
PURPORT
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  jñāna  and  yoga , can be successful only when mixed with  bhakti . When we speak of  jñāna-yoga ,  karma-yoga  and