Beginning with the tongue
Expressions researched:
"begin service with your tongue"
|"begin service with your tongue"
|"begin with the tongue"
|"begin with your tongue"
|"beginning from the tongue"
|"beginning is the tongue"
|"beginning is tongue"
|"beginning with the tongue"
|"beginning with tongue"
|"beginning with tongue"
|"beginning with your tongue"
|"beginning, jihva, the tongue"
|"begins by engaging the tongue"
|"begins by the tongue"
|"begins by training the tongue"
|"begins from jihva, tongue"
|"begins from the jihva, tongue"
|"begins from the tongue"
|"begins from tongue"
|"begins from your tongue"
|"begins with one’s tongue"
|"begins with the tongue"
|"begins with your tongue"
|"by the tongue you can begin"
|"tongue begins"
|"tongue is the beginning"
|"tongue is the beginning"
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
It is said in the Brahma-saṁhitā that devotees, being elevated in love of God, always see Śyāmasundara, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, within their hearts. But when they are mature, the same God is visible before them face to face. For ordinary persons the Lord is not visible; however, when one can understand the significance of His holy name and one engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord, beginning with the tongue, by chanting and tasting prasāda, then gradually the Lord reveals Himself. Thus the devotee constantly sees the Lord within his heart, and, in a more mature stage, one can see the same Lord directly, as we see everything else.
SB Canto 4
It is said that Ananta, a direct incarnation of the Lord, has unlimited mouths, and with each mouth He has been trying to describe the glories of the Lord for an unlimited span of time, yet the glories of the Lord remain unlimited, and He therefore never finishes. It is not possible for any ordinary living entity to understand or to glorify the unlimited Personality of Godhead, but one can offer prayers or service to the Lord according to one's particular capacity. This capacity is increased by the service spirit. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234) means that the service of the Lord begins with the tongue. This refers to chanting. By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one begins the service of the Lord. Another function of the tongue is to taste and accept the Lord's prasāda. We have to begin our service to the Unlimited with the tongue and become perfect in chanting, and accepting the Lord's prasāda. To accept the Lord's prasāda means to control the entire set of senses. The tongue is considered to be the most uncontrollable sense because it hankers for so many unwholesome eatables, thereby forcing the living entity into the dungeon of material conditional life. As the living entity transmigrates from one form of life to another, he has to eat so many abominable foodstuffs that finally there is no limit. The tongue should be engaged in chanting and in eating the Lord's prasāda so that the other senses will be controlled. Chanting is the medicine, and prasāda is the diet. With these processes one can begin his service, and as the service increases, the Lord reveals more and more to the devotee. But there is no limit to His glories, and there is no limit to engaging oneself in the service of the Lord.
SB Canto 10.1 to 10.13
When Kṛṣṇa is satisfied with one's devotional service, He does everything Himself. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. He reveals more and more to the devotee as the devotee advances in service. Jihvādau: this service begins with the tongue, with chanting and with taking the prasāda of Kṛṣṇa.
- ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi
- na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ
- sevonmukhe hi jihvādau
- svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ
- (CC Madhya 17.136)
| Page Title: | Beginning with the tongue |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Priya, MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 07 of May, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=3, CC=1, OB=2, Lec=47, Con=6, Let=2 |
| No. of Quotes: | 61 |