Prabhupada's lecture - Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.38-39 - Vṛndāvana, September 30, 1976
Jñānī jijñāsur ārtaḥ arthārthī. The gṛhasthas, they are ārta, distressed. So if he's pious, so in his distressed condition he approaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead, "My Lord, I am very much distressed. Kindly give me Your favor." "Give me." There is "give me." And jijñāsuḥ, jñānī, they do not want anything "Give me," but jijñāsuḥ: "Actually, what is God? What is the Absolute Truth?" That is the difference. One is going to God for asking something, and jijñāsuḥ, jñānī, is eulogized because they do not ask anything. To ask anything from God is not higher standard of bhakti. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye [Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4]. This is pure devotion. People generally go to Kṛṣṇa, God, "O God, give us our daily bread." This is not bhakti, but it is piety because he goes to God. Therefore sukṛtina. He's not the sinful man. He's pious man. At least, he has approached God. And those who are sinful, they do not approach even. They do not go even in the temple to ask something. They say, "What is this nonsense?
We don't require. We shall work hard." Nowadays it is going on. "Why you go to temple? Why you give credit to God for your success? You work hard..." There is a philosophy, karma-mīmāṁsā. It is like that. "You work hard and you get the profit. Why you should give credit to God?" This is going on. They are duṣkṛtina. They do not know that without God's mercy you cannot get anything. Otherwise, simply by working hard, anyone could become a big man? No. That is not possible. Without Kṛṣṇa's desire, without sanction, it cannot be done. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ [Bg. 3.27]. Everyone is under the obligation of nature and karma. One cannot surpass. There are many instances in the śāstras.