SB 4.24.55 · Srimad Bhagavatam

Devanagari

तं दुराराध्यमाराध्य सतामपि दुरापया । एकान्तभक्त्या को वाञ्छेत्पादमूलं विना बहि: ॥ ५५ ॥

Verse text

taṁ durārādhyam ārādhya satām api durāpayā ekānta-bhaktyā ko vāṣchet pāda-mūlaṁ vinā bahiḥ

Synonyms

tam — unto You ; durārādhyam — very difficult to worship ; ārādhya — having worshiped ; satām api — even for the most exalted persons ; durāpayā — very difficult to attain ; ekānta — pure ; bhaktyā — by devotional service ; kaḥ — who is that man ; vāṣchet — should desire ; pāda — mūlam — lotus feet ; vinā — without ; bahiḥ — outsiders .

Translation

My dear Lord, pure devotional service is even difficult for liberated persons to discharge, but devotional service alone can satisfy You. Who will take to other processes of self-realization if he is actually serious about the perfection of life?

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

Who would desire the happiness of Svarga, devoid of your lotus feet which are difficult to attain, but attained by worshipping you by pure bhakti, which also difficult to attain? In three verses Śiva further praises the Lord. Bahiḥ refers to the happiness of Svarga.

Purport

The word satām refers to transcendentalists. There are three kinds of transcendentalists: the jṣānī, yogī and bhakta. Out of these three, the bhakta is selected as the most suitable candidate to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is emphasized herein that only one who is outside devotional service would not engage in searching for the lotus feet of the Lord. Foolish people sometimes maintain that God may be attained in any way — either by karma-yoga, jṣāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, etc. — but here it is clearly stated that it is impossible to obtain the mercy of the Lord by any means but bhakti-yoga. The word durārādhya is especially significant. It is very difficult to attain the lotus feet of the Lord by any method other than bhakti-yoga.