First thing is sravanam. If we simply keep these Deities here, we may see. But if we don't hear about Him, then it will be hackneyed. Then it will be hackneyed. Just like in India it has become. Because they have given up the process of sravanam kirtanam

Expressions researched:
"first thing is śravaṇam. If we simply keep these Deities here, we may see. But if we don't hear about Him, then it will be hackneyed. Then it will be hackneyed. Just like in India it has become. Because they have given up the process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

These are the nine different procedures of bhakti-yoga. The first thing is śravaṇam. If we simply keep these Deities here, we may see. But if we don't hear about Him, then it will be hackneyed. Then it will be hackneyed. Just like in India it has become. Because they have given up the process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam.

720905 - Lecture SB 01.02.07 - New Vrindaban, USA:

So God is everywhere; simply we have to make our these blunt eyes . . . just like education. I am seeing a motorcar, but a advanced motor engineer, he sees also the car, the difference of seeing. If there is some defect in the car, I cannot do it. But one engineer, one who knows, a mechanic, he knows, immediately touches and the car runs. Similarly, we should know that by education, by culture, by knowledge we can understand God, not by fictitious, by concoction, "Oh, I accept this God. I accept that God."

So that education can be very quickly done. Otherwise it is very difficult to understand God. There are so many philosophers in the world, so many scientists, they are declining. Because they could not find what is God, they are denying. Just like my inefficiency of my eyes, I see that beyond this wall I cannot see. I say: "Oh, there is nothing beyond this wall." But I . . . (indistinct) . . . that is my lack of education. Not that there is nothing beyond this wall. My imperfect eyes cannot see, my imperfect senses cannot realize. But you can make your senses perfect to see God by a process. What is that? Bhakti-yoga.

That is explained by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). In one place Kṛṣṇa has said, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3): "Out of many millions of persons, one is very much anxious to make his life perfect." Everyone is not. They are simply working like cats and dogs. That's all. Nobody is interested how to make life perfect.

Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu, out of millions of person, one becomes interested how to make this life perfect. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye, yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3), and out of many such perfect person who has made his life perfect, out of many such person, kaścid jana . . . kaścit vetti māṁ tattvataḥ, knows God. So God-knowing is not very easy job, but it can be made easy by a process, which is called bhakti-yoga. That is explained here:

vāsudeve bhagavati

bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ

janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ

jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam

(SB 1.2.7)

If we apply our vāsu . . . bhakti-yoga unto Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa—Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeve bhagavati. So Vāsudeva is not ordinary person; He is Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To show us mercy, He descends. That is His mercy.

So vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ (SB 1.2.7), if you take to devotional service . . . what is that devotional service? It is also very easy. It is not very difficult thing. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). If anyone comes in this temple, simply . . .

(aside) Sit down.

Simply offers a little obeisances, just bow down, māṁ namaskuru. And if you think of these Deities, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, in this way, those who have become devotees, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī, you worship. These four principles, if you adopt, that is bhakti-yoga. That is bhakti-yoga. But the bhakti-yoga can be kept active by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Just like you are hearing, I am speaking. This is kīrtanam. And you are hearing, both we are benefiting.

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-nive . . .

(SB 7.5.23)

These are the nine different procedures of bhakti-yoga. The first thing is śravaṇam. If we simply keep these Deities here, we may see. But if we don't hear about Him, then it will be hackneyed. Then it will be hackneyed. Just like in India it has become. Because they have given up the process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, therefore they are feeling now . . .

Everywhere, not only India, everywhere, because they have given up bona fide śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting about God, it has become a burden, and they are trying to sell the temples and churches. So don't stop. If you stop this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, then you have to . . . gradually you will diminish in your devotional service. That is called bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga begins from śravaṇam, from hearing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ.

So Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā that if we want to know Kṛṣṇa, God, then it has to be known through bhakti-yoga, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Not by other means. Then Kṛṣṇa would have declared that you can understand God by haṭha-yoga or jñāna-yoga or dhyāna-yoga or karma-yoga. There are so many yogic principles. But Kṛṣṇa summarizes all the yoga system in the Sixth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā:

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntarātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo . . .

(BG 6.47)

The first-class yogī is he who is constantly, twenty-four hours, thinking of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa also says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ: "Think of Me always."

So our process, the bhakti-yoga process, is very simple: we chant this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So as soon as we chant Kṛṣṇa, this name, this holy name, and as soon as we hear about Him, Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately we remember what is Kṛṣṇa, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, smaraṇam. Smaraṇam means remembering. In this way, if we continue always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, remembering about His name, fame, quality, pastimes, then your life is perfect.