The Vedic knowledge is called śruti. Śruti. Śruti means to hear. Adhokṣaja—you cannot perceive God by any other senses. You cannot see God, you cannot smell God, you cannot touch God, you cannot taste God—but you can hear. That is a fact. You can hear. So this hearing is very important thing to understand what is God.
So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the hearing process. Hearing process. Just like we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. We are hearing the name of Kṛṣṇa. By hearing we are understanding what is the form of Kṛṣṇa. The form of Kṛṣṇa, which we are worshiping here, it is by hearing. It is not imagination. It is by hearing. Just like in the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated:
- cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-
- lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam
- lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ
- (Bs. 5.29)
- Veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣam
- (Bs. 5.30)
These are statements on what is the form of the Lord, how, what He is doing, what are His activities. And those hearings are confirmed also when Kṛṣṇa descended. The same thing. There Kṛṣṇa was playing with flute, He was treating the cows very favorite, He was known as cowherd’s boy in His childhood. So that hearing was confirmed. His reputation, His strength, His beauty, His wisdom—whatever is stated in the Vedic language, they are all confirmed by when Kṛṣṇa descended.
So even that Kṛṣṇa is not present at the moment, but still we can hear His instructions what He gave. In the Bhagavad-gītā, many instructions He left. One of them is very important—Bhagavad-gītā. This Bhagavad-gītā is read all over the world, irrespective of religious considerations.
As a matter of philosophy and book of knowledge, it is very popular all over the world. This Bhagavad-gītā we have published "As It Is," but unfortunately many editions, they give different interpretations. But "As It Is" should be understood.
So our, this process is hearing, because that is the only process. If you want to understand God, other processes will be realized through the process of hearing, śravaṇam.