There are many, many millions and trillions of living entities within this universe. And they are rotating in different species of life, 8,400,000—in this way, unfortunate. Simply repetition, birth and death, birth and death in different... Out of them, if one is the greatest fortunate, he is given the chance, guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. By the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa, he gets the seed of devotional service. And if he's intelligent, unless he is intelligent, otherwise how he gets the seed? That is initiation. And if he waters... Just like if you get a nice seed, you have to sow it and pour little, little water... Then it will grow. Similarly, anyone who by great fortune has come into Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the seed of devotional service, he should water it. And what is the water? Śravaṇa-kīrtana-jale karaye secana (CC Madhya 19.152). This is watering. This hearing and chanting about Kṛṣṇa. This is watering. Don't be absent from the class. This hearing and chanting is watering the seed of devotional service. If you make it official and be absent from hearing... This is most important thing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). This is most important thing. To hear. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam does not mean hearing and chanting of any other entity. No. Viṣṇu. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. The rascals, they have manufactured "kālī-kīrtana".Where is there in śāstra there is kālī-kīrtana, śiva-kīrtana? No. Kīrtana means glorifying the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. That is kīrtana. Not any other kīrtana. But they have manu... competition, kālī-kīrtana. Where is in the śāstra kālī-kīrtana? Durgā-kīrtana? These are all nonsense. Simply Kṛṣṇa. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). Kṛṣṇa should be worshiped, Kṛṣṇa should be heard, Kṛṣṇa should be chanted, Kṛṣṇa should be remembered. In this way, you'll advance Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Of the nine different processes of bhakti-yoga, the most important thing is sravanam, hearing
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 4
Dear Lord, as long as we have to remain within this material world due to our material contamination and wander from one type of body to another and from one planet to another, we pray that we may associate with those who are engaged in discussing Your pastimes. We pray for this benediction life after life, in different bodily forms and on different planets.
This is the best benediction that a devotee can ask of the Supreme Lord. This is also confirmed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhiḥ (SB 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 tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ. When the pure devotees assemble to chant, hear and talk about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the place where they assemble becomes Vaikuṇṭha. For the devotee there is no need to pray to the Lord for transferal to the Vaikuṇṭha world. A pure devotee can create Vaikuṇṭha or Vṛndāvana anywhere simply by chanting the glories of the Lord without offense.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Kṛṣṇa says, "I stay there where My pure devotees chant about Me." Yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ. So if you become pure devotee and if you chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you can create Vṛndāvana anywhere, any part of the world. Not that you have got to come here. You come here. That's all right because it is established, Vṛndāvana. When Kṛṣṇa comes here, whenever He comes on this planet, He comes here. There are so many devotees. Certainly there is meaning, there is importance of this dhāma. But still, if it is not possible to come here, you can create Vṛndāvana anywhere, provided you are a pure devotee and you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any offense. Just like we have got our New Vrindaban. This year we have seen practically how these American boys and girls, hundreds and thousands, always who are remaining, not less than five to seven hundred... And for one week continually, in Janmāṣṭamī, we observed Janmāṣṭamī festival. Actually it was as good as this Vṛndāvana, because the chanting of the holy name was going on and hearing about Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was going on. There was tulasī plants, devotees, śrī-vigraha. Everything was there. So actually, it was replica of Śrī Vṛndāvana.
So therefore the most important thing is, to make advance in devotional service, to increase the appetite for hearing. Viṣvaksena-kathāsu yaḥ, notpādayed ratim, kathāsu ratim. Kathāsu means, rati means attraction to kathāsu, that means hearing. Śravaṇam. So this is the test, that anyone who is supposed to be advancing in devotional service, bhakti-yoga, the test will be how much he has awakened his intense desire for hearing about Kṛṣṇa. That is the test. That is the test. So the perfectional platform is stated here, that "You may execute your different occupational duties, dharma, but the test will be whether you have developed your consciousness, you have developed your Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That is the test.
And the bhakti-yoga means
- śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
- smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
- arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
- sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
- (SB 7.5.23)
These are the nine different processes of bhakti-yoga, of which the most important thing is śravaṇam, hearing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. And about whom? About Viṣṇu, not for anyone else. That is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Everything bhakti means devotional service, loving devotional service, for Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. That is not any other service. That is not bhakti.
There are many energies. Kṛṣṇa is worshiped by many, many goddess of fortune. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). So He doesn't require our service. But He agrees. He is so kind that He agrees to come here to accept our service. Therefore we must be very careful, that "Kṛṣṇa has kindly consented to come here to accept our service. Now we may not do something which is not satisfactory to Him." That is devotion. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Always full of veneration. Don't think that "Here is a statue." Here is Kṛṣṇa.
So Kṛṣṇa is ready to accept our service in so many ways. Either if you cannot establish Deity, then you simply hear about Him. That is the most important thing. We do not require to establish temple everywhere.
Therefore the challenge was that "Now explain what is dharma." So they're explaining. Mind that. They are not educated themselves, but their education is by hearing from the authority. Iti śuśruma. This is real education. Therefore Vedas' another name is śruti. Śruti means the knowledge which you receive by hearing, not by your so-called eyes or tongue. No. The tongue, you can chant what you hear. Therefore our beginning of knowledge is śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). Not that go to some technical college and learn it. This is also technical, transcendental technical, but the technique is first of all hear. This is technique. Not take a hammer and understood. This is hearing. This technology begins by hearing. Just like you have come here kindly and hearing. This is the technology, beginning of transcendental knowledge or spiritual knowledge. So here also these Yamadūtas said, "We have heard it from the authority." That is perfection. Go to the authority and hear from him the real knowledge. Then you become perfect in knowledge. Actually, we imitate, we also go to a school, college, hear from the professor, teachers. That is the process anywhere, either transcendental or material knowledge. The hearing is most important thing. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended this hearing very important in transcendental knowledge especially. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir: if you know to know God, that is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's recommendation, he's recommending from the śāstra. He doesn't recommend anything, "I think," "I believe," "Perhaps." No, not this nonsense. You may... You are rascal. What is the value of your belief? No. It is the... Here is the knowledge. Iti śuśruma, "We have heard it from authority." This is knowledge.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Conversations and Morning Walks
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Brian Singer: What does.... When you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, does it mean you come into the chapel, or can you lead the sort of life that we lead and still...?
Prabhupāda: No, going to the chapel, that is one of the means, but there are nine different processes, of which, hearing about Kṛṣṇa is the most important thing, śravaṇam. If you continuously hear about Kṛṣṇa. Therefore these books are there, hearing and chanting. If you cannot read, I'll read; you hear. I'll speak. Or you will speak; I'll hear. These two processes are very important. Therefore we are presenting in English language the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa so elaborately. We have published eighty-two books like this. If you read one book.... This is the preliminary study. Then, if you read it with great attention, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious immediately. Then you understand about Kṛṣṇa from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in sixty books, and then you enjoy the transcendental pleasure in Caitanya-caritāmṛta in seventeen books. So you cannot finish even within your life. So many books are there. And you'll forget reading other books.
Page Title: | Of the nine different processes of bhakti-yoga, the most important thing is sravanam, hearing |
Compiler: | Labangalatika |
Created: | 16 of Jan, 2011 |
Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=1, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=6, Con=1, Let=0 |
No. of Quotes: | 8 |