Shloka 55
Lord Śiva Instructs the Pracetās (Śiva-stuti and the Path of Bhakti)
तं दुराराध्यमाराध्य सतामपि दुरापया । एकान्तभक्त्या को वाञ्छेत्पादमूलं विना बहि: ॥ ५५ ॥
taṁ durārādhyam ārādhya satām api durāpayā ekānta-bhaktyā ko vāñchet pāda-mūlaṁ vinā bahiḥ
My Lord, You are difficult to worship by other means, and even the saintly attain You only with great difficulty. Yet You are satisfied by exclusive devotion alone; who, seeking life’s perfection, would desire any other path apart from the shelter of Your feet?
The word satām refers to transcendentalists. There are three kinds of transcendentalists: the jñānī, 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, jñāna-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.
FAQs
This verse teaches that when one worships the Lord with exclusive, undivided devotion, all other external desires fall away, because the devotee finds complete shelter at His lotus feet.
In their prayerful mood, they point out that the Lord is difficult to attain even for the pious, so after receiving the rare gift of devotion and worshiping Him, it is foolish to seek lesser, external goals.
Prioritize steady devotion—regular remembrance, prayer, and service—so that career, comfort, and recognition become secondary, used as supports for dharma rather than as life’s ultimate aim.