śrī-uddhava uvāca
vadanti kṛṣṇa śreyāḿsi
bahūni brahma-vādinaḥ
teṣāḿ vikalpa-prādhānyam
utāho eka-mukhyatā
sri-uddhavah uvaca -- Sri Uddhava said; vadanti -- they speak; krishna -- my dear Krishna; sreyamsi -- processes for advancement in life; bahuni -- many; brahma-vadinah -- the learned sages who have explained the Vedic literature; tesham -- of all such processes; vikalpa -- of varieties of perception; pradhanyam -- supremacy; uta -- or; aho -- indeed; eka -- of one; mukhyata -- being most important.
Sri Uddhava said: My dear Krishna, the learned sages who explain Vedic literature recommend various processes for perfecting one's life. Considering these varieties of viewpoint, my Lord, please tell me whether all these processes are equally important, or whether one of them is supreme.
In order to clearly establish the exalted position of bhakti-yoga, or pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Sri Uddhava requests Lord Krishna to identify the supreme among all processes of self-realization. Not all Vedic processes lead directly to the ultimate goal, pure love of God; some only gradually elevate the consciousness of the living entity. For the purpose of giving a general outline of the process of self-realization, sages may discuss the various methods of elevation. But when the time comes to ascertain the most perfect process, the secondary methods must be cleared from the path.
