Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 4

Sanskrit:

तपस्तीर्थं जपो दानं पवित्राणीतराणि च ।नालं कुर्वन्ति तां सिद्धिं या ज्ञानकलया कृता ॥ ४ ॥

ITRANS:

tapas tīrthaṁ japo dānaṁpavitrāṇītarāṇi canālaṁ kurvanti tāṁ siddhiṁyā jñāna-kalayā kṛtā

Translation:

That perfection which is produced by a small fraction of spiritual knowledge cannot be duplicated by performing austerities, visiting holy places, chanting silent prayers, giving in charity or engaging in other pious activities.

Purport:

Jñāna here refers to a clear understanding of the Lord’s supreme dominion over all that be, and this realized knowledge is nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That the Lord is supreme is confirmed in the previous verse by the words padam śreṣṭhaṁ vidur mama. One may perform penances or visit holy places with a proud mentality or material motivation; similarly, one may chant prayers to God, give charity or perform other externally pious activities with many bizarre, hypocritical or even demoniac motivations. Realized knowledge of the supremacy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, however, is a solid connection with the spiritual world, and if one pursues this holy understanding one is gradually promoted to the highest level of conscious existence, called Vaikuṇṭha, or the kingdom of God.