Only devotional service pleases the Lord; all material qualifications without bhakti are useless labor.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.8–11 — March 19, 1969, Hawaii 690319SB-HAWAII [52:50 Minutes] SB-07.09.08-11_690319SB-HAWAII Prabhupāda: [sings:] brahmādayaḥ sura-gaṇā munayo ’tha siddhāḥ sattvaikatāna-gatayo vacasāṁ pravāhaiḥ nārādhituṁ puru-guṇair adhunāpi pipruḥ kiṁ toṣṭum arhati sa me harir ugra-jāteḥ [SB 7.9.8] [Prahlāda Mahārāja prayed: How is it possible for me, who have been born in a family of asuras, to offer suitable prayers to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Even until now, all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, and all the saintly persons could not satisfy the Lord by streams of excellent words, although such persons are very qualified, being in the mode of goodness. Then what is to be said of me? I am not at all qualified.] manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujastejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṁso bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya [SB 7.9.9] [Prahlāda Mahārāja continued: One may possess wealth, an aristocratic family, beauty, austerity, education, sensory expertise, luster, influence, physical strength, diligence, intelligence and mystic yogic power, but I think that even by all these qualifications one cannot satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one can satisfy the Lord simply by devotional service. Gajendra did this, and thus the Lord was satisfied with him.] viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda-nābhapādāravinda-vimukhāt śvapacaṁ variṣṭham manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārthaprāṇaṁ punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūrimānaḥ [SB 7.9.10] [If a brāhmaṇa has all twelve of the brahminical qualifications [as they are stated in the book called Sanat-sujāta] but is not a devotee and is averse to the lotus feet of the Lord, he is certainly lower than a devotee who is a dog-eater but who has dedicated everything—mind, words, activities, wealth and life—to the Supreme Lord. Such a devotee is better than such a brāhmaṇa because the devotee can purify his whole family, whereas the so-called brāhmaṇa in a position of false prestige cannot purify even himself.] naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo mānaṁ janād aviduṣaḥ karuṇo vṛṇīte yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānaṁ tac cātmane prati-mukhasya yathā mukha-śrīḥ [SB 7.9.11] [The Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always fully satisfied in Himself. Therefore when something is offered to Him, the offering, by the Lord's mercy, is for the benefit of the devotee, for the Lord does not need service from anyone. To give an example, if one's face is decorated, the reflection of one's face in a mirror is also seen to be decorated.] [01:49] In the last meeting, we have discussed that a person in devotional service, even though born of a very low family who are eating dogs’ flesh, he is better than a qualified brāhmaṇa who is not a devotee of the Lord. The only disqualification—that he is not a devotee of the Lord—that makes everything null and void. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāh [SB 5.18.12]. [All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord's external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?] The Bhāgavata school does not give any credit for all material acquisitions. Simply they say it is simply a waste of time. Śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]. If by your worldly acquisition, if by your religious principles, if you are becoming very highly thoughtful man of character—all good qualifications materially estimated—but if your aptitude is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then Bhāgavata says śrama eva hi kevalam, it is simply laboring, that’s all. dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ notpādayed yadi ratiṁ śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8] [The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead.] Śrama means “labor” and kevalam means “only.” Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ: everyone has got some particular type of duty.
I’m not speaking of those who are not following the Vedic prin… Duty means to follow the duty enjoined by the scriptures. That is called duty. Duty, you cannot make anything, manufacturing duty, that “This is my duty.” No. Duty means it is authorized. So according to Vedic principle, everyone has some authorized duty.
The classification is brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. They are followers of the enjoined duties. Others, they are called pañcama; they are out of this core. So even those who are following the duties—brāhmaṇa’s duty, kṣatriya’s duty, vaiśya’s duties, śūdra’s duty… The more you come lower, the duty’s charge becomes smaller. Just like the brāhmaṇa, they have to qualify in twelve kinds of qualifications.
The kṣatriyas, they have to qualify themselves in seven kinds of qualifications. The vaiśyas, they have to qualify themselves in three kinds of qualifications. And the śūdras, they have to qualify themselves in one, that’s all. What is that one?
Simply to serve the master faithfully. That’s all. Paricaryātmakaṁ karma śūdrasyāpi svabhāva-jam [Bg. 18.44]. [Farming, cattle raising and business are the qualities of work for the vaiśyas, and for the śūdras there is labor and service to others.] A śūdra means one who is simply to satisfy the master. He cannot live independently.
He must seek out. Just like a dog: a dog’s living independently means it is a street dog; there is no comfort. A street dog has no comfort. The cats and dogs, they find out some shelter.
Just like this cat [chuckles], Govinda dāsī's cat. As soon as Govinda dāsī comes out, immediately she comes on the feet: “My dear mother, please keep me on your feet.” So that is fortunate, she has selected…, it has selected a Vaiṣṇavī, so it will have some good affect. But if the selection is wrong… So our Vaiṣṇava principle is we have to qualify ourselves, just like cats and dog. But we are not going to serve the ordinary person.