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ŚB 7.9.9

Devanagari

मन्ये धनाभिजनरूपतप:श्रुतौज-
स्तेज:प्रभावबलपौरुषबुद्धियोगा: ।
नाराधनाय हि भवन्ति परस्य पुंसो
भक्त्या तुतोष भगवान्गजयूथपाय ॥ ९ ॥

Text

manye dhanābhijana-rūpa-tapaḥ-śrutaujas-
tejaḥ-prabhāva-bala-pauruṣa-buddhi-yogāḥ
nārādhanāya hi bhavanti parasya puṁso
bhaktyā tutoṣa bhagavān gaja-yūtha-pāya

Synonyms

manye — I consider; dhana — riches; abhijana — aristocratic family; rūpa — personal beauty; tapaḥ — austerity; śruta — knowledge from studying the Vedas; ojaḥ — sensory prowess; tejaḥ — bodily effulgence; prabhāva — influence; bala — bodily strength; pauruṣa — diligence; buddhi — intelligence; yogāḥ — mystic power; na — not; ārādhanāya — for satisfying; hi — indeed; bhavanti — are; parasya — of the transcendent; puṁsaḥ — Supreme Personality of Godhead; bhaktyā — simply by devotional service; tutoṣa — was satisfied; bhagavān — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; gaja-yūtha-pāya — unto the King of elephants (Gajendra).

Translation

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.

Purport

No kind of material qualification is the means for satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated in Bhagavad-gītā, only by devotional service can the Lord be known (bhaktyā mām abhijānāti). Unless the Lord is pleased by the service of a devotee, the Lord does not reveal Himself (nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ). This is the verdict of all śāstras. Neither by speculation nor by material qualifications can one understand or approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead.