krishna, hearing about

The sum total of devotional qualities is development of unalloyed love for Krsna. This unalloyed love for Krsna can be achieved simply by hearing about Krsna. Lord Caitanya accepted this principle-that if one in any position submissively hears the transcendental message spoken by Krsna or about Krsna, then gradually he develops the quality of unalloyed love, and by that love only he can conquer the unconquerable. The Mayavadi philosophers aspire to become one with the Supreme Lord, but a devotee surpasses that position. A devotee not only becomes one in quality with the Supreme Lord, but he sometimes becomes the father, mother or master of the Lord. Arjuna also, by his devotional service, made Lord Krsna his chariot driver; he ordered the Lord, "Put my chariot here," and the Lord executed his order. These are some examples of how a devotee can acquire the exalted position of conquering the unconquerable. (More...)

This verse is especially mentioned to substantiate the devotional process of hearing the subject matter. A devotee does not like to hear anything other than subjects dealing with spiritual activities, or the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We can increase our propensity for devotional service by hearing Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam from realized souls. The more we hear from realized souls, the more we make advancement in our devotional life. The more we advance in devotional life, the more we become detached from the material world. The more we become detached from the material world, the less we associate with persons who are after money and sense gratification. This is the advice of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu: (More...)

There are many similar stories in the Puranas for self-realization. As stated in the : paroksa-priya iva hi devah. There are many stories in the Puranas that are intended to interest ordinary men in transcendental subjects, but actually these refer to real facts. They are not to be considered stories without a transcendental purpose. Some of them refer to real historical facts. One should be interested, however, in the real purport of the story. Indirect instruction is quickly understandable for a common man. Factually the path of bhakti-yoga is the path of hearing directly about the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead (sravanam kirtanam visnoh), but those who are not interested in hearing directly about the activities of the Lord, or who cannot understand them, can very effectively hear such stories and fables as this one narrated by Narada Muni. (More...)

The cultivation of Krsna consciousness is possible where great devotees live together and constantly engage in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord. In a holy place like Vrndavana, there are many devotees constantly engaged in chanting and hearing the glories of the Lord. If one gets the chance to hear from pure devotees in such a place, allowing the constant flow of the river of nectar to come from the mouths of pure devotees, then the cultivation of Krsna consciousness becomes very easy. When one is engaged in constantly hearing the glories of the Lord, he certainly rises above the bodily conception. When one is in the bodily conception, he feels the pangs of hunger and thirst, fear, lamentation and illusion. But when one is engaged in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, he transcends the bodily conception. (More...)

This is the best benediction that a devotee can ask of the Supreme Lord. This is also confirmed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-vaṅ-manobhih (Bhag. 10.14.3). One may be in one position or another according to destiny, but in any case one must continue to hear about the activities and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, regardless of circumstances. A pure devotee does not pray for liberation or for cessation of the cycle of birth and death because he does not consider that important. The most important thing for a devotee is getting a chance to hear about the pastimes and glories of the Lord. The devotees who engage in the service of the Lord in this world will have the same opportunity in the spiritual world also. Thus for a devotee, everything is in the spiritual world, for as long as he can hear about the pastimes of the Lord, or wherever he can chant, the Lord is personally present. Tatra tisthami narada yatra gayanti mad-bhaktah. When the pure devotees assemble to chant, hear and talk about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the place where they assemble becomes Vaikuntha. For the devotee there is no need to pray to the Lord for transferal to the Vaikuntha world. A pure devotee can create Vaikuntha or Vrndavana anywhere simply by chanting the glories of the Lord without offense. (More...)

In this Age of Kali there is no possibility of acquiring spiritual knowledge by renunciation, by speculation or by fruitive work. Because most people are fallen and because there is no time to elevate them by a gradual process, the best course, according to Lord Caitanya, is to let them remain in whatever occupation they are in but to engage them in hearing of the activities of the Supreme Lord as those activities are explained in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. The transcendental messages of the scriptures should be received from the lips of realized souls. In this way a person may continue to live in whatever occupation he is in and still make progress in spiritual advancement. Thus one can surely advance and fully realize the Personality of Godhead. (More...)

The Upanisads indirectly draw our attention to the Primeval Lord Sri Krsna, and the Bhagavad-gita, which is the summary of all Upanisads, directly points out Sri Krsna. One should, therefore, hear about Krsna as He is in the Gita or in the Srimad-Bhagavatam [1.2.17], and that will gradually help him in cleansing his mind of all contaminated things. The Bhagavatam says: "By hearing the activities of the Lord, one draws the attention of the Lord towards the devotee. And the Lord, being situated in the heart of every living being, helps the devotee by giving him proper direction." The Bhagavad-gita [10.10] also confirms this. (More...)

Hearing and chanting of the glories of the Lord are themselves acts of piety. The Lord wants everyone to do this, because He is the Well-wisher of all living entities. And by practicing this hearing and chanting of the glories of the Lord, one becomes cleansed of all undesirable things within himself. His devotion becomes fixed upon the Lord. At this stage the devotee acquires the Brahminical qualifications, and the resultant reactions of lower qualities become completely vanished. He becomes fully enlightened by such devotional service and thus knows the path of the Lord and how to attain Him. All doubts become diminished, and he becomes a pure devotee. (More...)

The next step, it is said that..., that bhava-pravaha uparamam, in the next verse. What is that? Srnvanti gayanti. This is the process. Srnvanti. Simply sit down. You haven't got to work very hard. Srnvanti. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-vaṅ-manobhih [SB 10.14.3]: "You..., you don't require to change your position. You simply hear." Therefore this very word is used in the beginning. What is that? Srnvanti. Srnvanti means "hears." Simply hear. And gayanti. So... Just like we say "Hare Krsna," and all repeat, "Hare Krsna." Gayanti. Srnvanti, first of all hear: Hare Krsna. The leading, I mean to, singer, he says, "Hare Krsna," and we repeat, "Hare Krsna." So srnvanti gayanti. Very simple method. Srnvanti gayanti grnanti. And takes it very seriously, accept: "Yes, this principle will alleviate all my sufferings." Seriously. Srnvanti gayanti grnanty abhiksnasah. Abhiksnasah means continuously, not that "For some days I do, and then again I go to my own habits." No. Abhiksnasah, continually. And smaranti. And if you take it, then naturally you will think of Krsna. Smaranti nandanti. And then gradually you'll be pleased. You'll feel pleasure. Otherwise, hackneyed, how you can continue? From early in the morning you are chanting. Unless you feel some pleasure, how you can do it? Artificially, it is not possible. Nandanti. And what is the subject matter? Tava ihita: simply glorifying the activities of the..., of Krsna. Just like we sing, udilo aruna puraba-bhage, dvija-mani gora amani jage. This is our subject matter of singing. What is this? Now, activities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, that as soon as there is early rise of the sun, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu immediately started His nagara-saṅkirtana. Not of any other. Sri Caitanya... Tavehitam. Simply... The subject matter must be there. If I hear, the subject matter must be there. The subject matter is Krsna's activities. Caitanya and Krsna is not different. (More...)

So this is even in the material field of activities, and what to speak of the spiritual. Therefore we have to hear from the authorities of sruti. Authorities of sruti... Krsna is the original speaker of sruti, or Veda knowledge. Therefore Vedic knowledge is called apauruseya. It is not manufactured or concocted by some mental speculator. It is coming from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it was imparted first of all to Lord Brahma, not by personal presentation, but through the heart. Brahma is the original person to understand Vedic knowledge. So after his birth he meditated for hundreds of years, and by meditation, through his heart the knowledge of Vedas, sruti, became revealed. Tene brahma hrda adi-kavaye. Adi-kavi means Brahma, and Brahman means Vedic knowledge. So we have to accept in that way. There is no physical science which can ascertain all this, how the things are taking place. But they are coming. In this way we have to learn from the sruti. (More...)

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3rd May, 1970, and beg to thank you very much for your kind sentiments. Yes, if it is any credit for me, that is what you have written that I tried to give aural reception to the words of my Spiritual Master, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja, and thus I tried to engage my tongue in repeating the same words without any change. Actually I am the most unworthy servant of His Divine Grace because I delayed to execute His order by so many years. But it was better I began late than never, and therefore He has kindly sent to me so many young hearts to cooperate with me in this great Movement. Please therefore continue your good cooperation, and I am sure great things will happen without delay. (More...)

Please accept my blessings. I have seen the latest reviews that you have sent with your letter and I thank you for them. The linguistics professor has correctly remarked. It was my intention in presenting the books that anyone who would read, they would learn Sanskrit. For example almost all of my disciples are pronouncing Sanskrit very nicely just by reading my books. He says that there is no pronunciation guide, but it is there is it not? The best thing would be is a recording. Therefore our process for learning is by hearing. Hearing is so important. (More...)

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated 13 April, 1976, and I have noted the contents with care. Concerning your questions: Yes, it will help to read Bhagavad-gita but to have to hear from the realized person. Without the help of guru, if you read independently, you may be misguided. Therefore, so many politicians, scholars, etc. not being guided by the parampara system, have simply misled the public. The Bhagavad-gita is the standard book of knowledge in India and many eminent persons like Gandhi, Aurobindo, Dr. RadhaKrishnan, etc. they tried to understand the Bhagavad-gita, but could not do it. They were themselves misled and on account of their big position they misled so many followers. Our system, the Vedic system, is to approach the right person and hear from him exactly as Arjuna listened from Krishna. Mental speculation will not help. Hearing is the main point. In the Bhagavad-gita, it is written, dharmaksetre kuruksetre . . . when you hear from a realized soul, a person who knows things, he'll explain that Kuruksetra is a place where religious ritualistic ceremonies are performed from time immemorial, from the time before the Battle of Kuruksetra. But, if you read the books of some cunning politician, he'll mislead you and you'll learn that Kuruksetra means this body which is not actually the fact. That is the difference, hearing from devotees, the sound vibration coming from the realized person. Reading the book is the same thing . . . tattva-darsana-hearing from one who has seen the truth. Reading or hearing from the realized person there is no difference, but hearing the sound vibration from the realized soul is still more effective, better. (More...)

Srutakirti: "Messages of the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna are nondifferent from Him. Whenever, therefore, offenseless hearing of God is undertaken, it is to be understood that Lord Krsna is present there in the form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His Siksastaka, declares clearly that the holy name of the Lord has all the potencies of the Lord and that He has endowed His innumerable names with the same potency. There is no rigid fixture of time, and anyone can chant the holy name with attention and reverence at his convenience. The Lord is so kind to us that He can be present before us personally in the form of transcendental sound, but unfortunately we have no taste for hearing and glorifying the Lord's name and activities. We have already discussed developing a taste for hearing and chanting the holy sound. It is done through the medium of service to the pure devotee of the Lord. (More...)

e has to hear from authentic sources about spiritual knowledge.

A devotee should always try to hear about spiritual matters and should always utilize his time in chanting the holy name of the Lord. His behavior should always be straightforward and simple, and although he is not envious but friendly to everyone, he should avoid the company of persons who are not spiritually advanced. (More...)

In order to advance in spiritual understanding, one has to hear from authentic sources about spiritual knowledge. One can understand the reality of spiritual life by following strict regulative principles and by controlling the senses. To have control it is necessary that one be nonviolent and truthful, refrain from stealing, abstain from sex life and possess only that which is absolutely necessary for keeping the body and soul together. One should not eat more than necessary, he should not collect more paraphernalia than necessary, he should not talk unnecessarily with common men, and he should not follow the rules and regulations without purpose. He should follow the rules and regulations so that he may actually make advancement. (More...)

In devotional service, therefore, two items out of the nine, namely hearing and chanting, are most important. Without hearing nicely, one cannot preach the message of Vedic knowledge.

Lord Saṅkarsana thus spoke the purport of Srimad-Bhagavatam to the great sage Sanat-kumara, who had already taken the vow of renunciation. Sanat-kumara also, in his turn, when inquired of by Saṅkhyayana Muni, explained Srimad-Bhagavatam as he had heard it from Saṅkarsana. (More...)

This is the way of the parampara system. Although Sanat-kumara, the well-known great saintly kumara, was in the perfect stage of life, still he heard the message of Srimad-Bhagavatam from Lord Saṅkarsana. Similarly, when he was questioned by Saṅkhyayana Rsi, he spoke to him the same message which he heard from Lord Saṅkarsana. In other words, unless one hears from the proper authority one cannot become a preacher. In devotional service, therefore, two items out of the nine, namely hearing and chanting, are most important. Without hearing nicely, one cannot preach the message of Vedic knowledge. (More...)

Krsna-katha is so powerful that simply by entering into a person's ear it can at once give deliverance from the bondage of family affection.

Who in human society can be satisfied without hearing sufficient talk of the Lord, whose lotus feet are the sum total of all places of pilgrimage and who is worshiped by great sages and devotees? Such topics can cut off one's bondage to family affection simply by entering the holes of one's ears. (More...)

Krsna-katha is so powerful that simply by entering into a person's ear it can at once give deliverance from the bondage of family affection. Family affection is an illusory manifestation of the external energy, and it is the only impetus for all mundane activities. As long as there is mundane activity and the mind is absorbed in such engagement, one has to undergo the repetition of birth and death in the current material nescience. People are most influenced by the mode of ignorance, and some are influenced by the passionate mode of material nature, and under the spell of these two modes a living being is actuated by the material conception of life. The mundane qualities do not allow a living entity to understand his real position. The qualities of both ignorance and passion strongly bind one to the illusory bodily conception of the self. The best among the fools who are thus deluded are those who engage in altruistic activities under the spell of the material mode of passion. Bhagavad-gita, which is direct Krsna-katha, gives humanity the elementary lesson that the body is perishable and that the consciousness which is spread throughout the body is imperishable. The conscious being, the imperishable self, is eternally existent and cannot be killed under any circumstances, even after the dissolution of the body. Anyone who misunderstands this perishable body to be the self and who works for it in the name of sociology, politics, philanthropy, altruism, nationalism or internationalism, under the false plea of the bodily conception of life, is certainly a fool and does not know the implications of reality and unreality. Some of them are above the modes of ignorance and passion and are situated in the mode of goodness, but mundane goodness is always contaminated by tinges of ignorance and passion. Mundane goodness can enlighten one that the body and the self are different, and one in goodness is concerned with the self and not the body. But due to being contaminated, those in mundane goodness cannot understand the real nature of the self as a person. Their impersonal conception of the self as distinct from the body keeps them in the mode of goodness within material nature, and unless they are attracted by Krsna-katha, they will never be liberated from the bondage of material existence. Krsna-katha is the only remedy for all people of the world because it can situate one in pure consciousness of the self and liberate one from material bondage. To preach Krsna-katha all over the world, as recommended by Lord Caitanya, is the greatest missionary activity, and all sensible men and women of the world may join in this great movement started by Lord Caitanya. (More...)

Krsna-katha, or the topics of Krsna, are so pure that wherever they are spoken, the place, the hearer, the inquirer, the speaker and all concerned become purified.

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter of hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists. (More...)

Even the very question is so nice that it is the best subject matter for hearing. Simply by such questioning and hearing, one can achieve the highest perfectional stage of life. Because Lord Krsna is the original Supreme Person, any question about Him is original and perfect. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that the highest perfection of life is to achieve transcendental loving service of Krsna. Because questions and answers about Krsna elevate one to that transcendental position, the questions of Maharaja Pariksit about Krsna philosophy are greatly glorified. Maharaja Pariksit wanted to absorb his mind completely in Krsna, and such absorption can be effected simply by hearing about the uncommon activities of Krsna. For instance, in the Bhagavad-gita it is stated that simply by understanding the transcendental nature of Lord Krsna's appearance, disappearance, and activities, one can immediately return back to home, back to Godhead, and never come back to this miserable condition of material existence. It is very auspicious, therefore, to hear always about Krsna. So Maharaja Pariksit requested Sukadeva Gosvami to narrate the activities of Krsna so that he could engage his mind in Krsna. The activities of Krsna are nondifferent from Himself. As long as one is engaged in hearing such transcendental activities of Krsna, he remains aloof from the conditional life of material existence. The topics of Lord Krsna are so auspicious that they purify the speaker, the hearer, and the inquirer. They are compared to the Ganges waters, which flow from the toe of Lord Krsna. Wherever the Ganges waters go, they purify the land and the person who bathes in them. Similarly, Krsna-katha or the topics of Krsna are so pure that wherever they are spoken, the place, the hearer, the inquirer, the speaker and all concerned become purified. (More...)

Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the all-auspicious Lord Sri Krsna, about whom glorification, remembrances, audience, prayers, hearing and worship can at once cleanse the effects of all sins of the performer.

The sublime form of religious performances to free oneself from all reactions of sins is suggested herein by the greatest authority, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami. Kirtanam, or glorifying the Lord, can be performed by very many ways, such as remembering, visiting temples to see the Deity, offering prayers in front of the Lord, and hearing recitations of glorification of the Lord as they are mentioned in the Srimad-Bhagavatam or in the Bhagavad-gita. Kirtana can be performed both by singing the glories of the Lord in accompaniment with melodious music and by recitation of scriptures like Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita. (More...)

The devotees may not be disappointed in the absence of the Lord physically, though they may think of not being associated with Him. The devotional process of chanting, hearing, remembering, etc., (either all or some of them, or even one of them) can give us the desired result of being associated with the Lord by discharging the transcendental loving service of the Lord in the above manner. Even the very sound of the holy name of Lord Krsna or Rama can at once surcharge the atmosphere spiritually, and we must know definitely that the Lord is present wherever such pure transcendental service is performed, and thus the performer of offenseless kirtana has positive association with the Lord. Similarly, remembrance and prayers also can give us the desired result if they are properly done under expert guidance. One should not concoct forms of devotional service. One may worship the form of the Lord in a temple, or one may impersonally offer the Lord devotional prayers in a mosque or a church. One is sure to get free from the reactions of sins, provided one is very careful about not committing sins willingly in expectation of getting free from the reactions of sins by worshiping in the temple or by offering prayers in the church. This mentality of committing sins willfully on the strength of devotional service is called namno balat papa-buddhih, the greatest offense in the discharge of devotional service. Hearing is, therefore, essential in order to keep oneself strictly on guard against such pitfalls of sins. And in order to give special stress to the hearing process, the Gosvami invokes all auspicious fortune in this matter. (More...)

One should constantly chant the holy name of the Lord after hearing it from authorities. This means that hearing from the authorities is the first essential.

O King, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, and also those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, as well as those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge. (More...)

In the previous verse, the great necessity for attaining attachment to Mukunda has been accredited. There are different types of persons who desire to attain success in different varieties of pursuits. Generally the persons are materialists who desire to enjoy the fullest extent of material gratification. Next to them are the transcendentalists, who have attained perfect knowledge about the nature of material enjoyment and thus are aloof from such an illusory way of life. More or less, they are satisfied in themselves by self-realization. Above them are the devotees of the Lord, who neither aspire to enjoy the material world nor desire to get out of it. They are after the satisfaction of the Lord Sri Krsna. In other words, the devotees of the Lord do not want anything on their personal account. If the Lord desires, the devotees can accept all sorts of material facilities, and if the Lord does not desire, the devotees can leave aside all sorts of facilities, even up to the limit of salvation. Nor are they self-satisfied, because they want the satisfaction of the Lord only. In this verse, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami recommends the transcendental chanting of the holy name of the Lord. By offenseless chanting and hearing of the holy name of the Lord, one becomes acquainted with the transcendental form of the Lord, and then with the attributes of the Lord, and then with the transcendental nature of His pastimes, etc. Here it is mentioned that one should constantly chant the holy name of the Lord after hearing it from authorities. This means hearing from the authorities is the first essential. Hearing of the holy name gradually promotes one to the stage of hearing about His form and so on about His attributes, His pastimes, etc., and thus the necessity of the chanting of His glories develops successively. This process is recommended not only for the successful execution of devotional service, but also even for those who are materially attached. According to Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, this way of attaining success is an established fact, concluded not only by him, but also by all other previous acaryas. Therefore, there is no need of further evidence. The process is recommended not only for the progressive students in different departments of ideological success, but also for those who are already successful in their achievement as fruitive workers, as philosophers or as devotees of the Lord. (More...)