Lend your ears to hear from the devotee

Expressions researched:
"Lend your ears to hear from the devotee" |"Simply lend your ear" |"lend his ear to receive the message of the Lord from realized souls" |"lend your ear to the discourses given by realized souls" |"lend your ears for aural reception of Krsna's message" |"lend your ears"

SB Canto 4

SB 4.24.69, Purport:

The Hare Krsna maha-mantra is also a prayer, for a prayer addresses the Supreme Personality of Godhead by His name and invokes good fortune by petitioning the Lord to allow one to engage in His devotional service. The Hare Krsna maha-mantra also says, "My dear Lord Krsna, my dear Lord Rama, O energy of the Lord, Hare, kindly engage me in Your service." Although one may be situated in a lowly position, he can execute devotional service under any circumstance, as stated, ahaituky apratihata: "Devotional service cannot be checked by any material condition." (SB 1.2.6) Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu also recommended this process:

jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva

jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam

sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir

ye prayaso 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyam

(SB 10.14.3)

One may remain situated in his own place or his own occupational duty and still lend his ear to receive the message of the Lord from realized souls. The Krsna conscious movement is based on this principle, and we are opening centers all over the world to give everyone a chance to hear the message of Lord Krsna in order to go back home, back to Godhead.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.23 -- Bombay, April 12, 1974:

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended this process. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir ye prayaso 'jita jito 'py asi tais tri-lokyam. This is Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's recommendation, that sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih: "You remain in your position." It doesn't require to change, because you are grhastha, or you are engineer, you are doctor or you are washerman. It doesn't matter. You remain in your position, sthane sthitah. But lend your ears for aural reception of Krsna's message. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam. Sruti mean this ear. Allow this much, the message of Krsna, to enter your ears. That will help you. Sthane sthitah. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam.

Then if you are, any man is conscious, deliberate, then, if you try to implement and practice in your life.... Sthane sthitah. First of all hearing. Unless you hear.... Just like Krsna is speaking. You have to hear.

gata-sangasya muktasya

jnanavasthita-cetasah

yajnayacaratah karma

samagram praviliyate

So in this way, hearing, hearing, you become jnanavasthita-cetasah. You don't require to go to the college and school.

This is also.... They simply hear. Even in college and school, there is percentage of attendance, hearing. All of you know that unless one has attended class of the professor seventy-five percent, he is not allowed for the examination. So hearing is so important.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970:

Devotee: "...devotional service in nine different forms, of which sravanam, hearing, is the first and most important."

Prabhupada: Yes. There are nine different forms of devotional service:

sravanam kirtanam visnoh

smaranam pada-sevanam

arcanam vandanam dasyam

sakhyam atma-nivedanam

(SB 7.5.23)

These nine. So the first principle is sravanam, it is said. Sravanam means hearing, that's all. The first principle of practicing this yoga, bhakti-yoga, beginning, "practicing yoga in full consciousness of Me." This yoga practice begins simply by hearing. You have got these ears. You simply just lend your ears and you become yogi. And as soon as you become experienced in hearing, you become a preacher -- kirtanam. Immediately. One who has heard nicely, he will try to become a kirtaniya, or preacher. That is natural. That is natural. Sravanam kirtanam. And sravanam means hearing, and kirtanam means preaching or chanting. Then sravanam kirtanam. "Oh, I... People are hearing so many things daily. They are going to the college, schools, and meetings and assembly and association. They are all hearing, sravanam. They are practicing yoga?" No. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh: you have to hear and preach and chant of Krsna, nothing more. Not that simply by hearing any nonsense things you become yogi.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Diego, July 1, 1972:

So Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva... "Or then I, I give up the speculative process and I become humbler, as you advise. Then what is My next duty?" Next duty is: namanta eva, being humble, san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam, you should approach a person who is a devotee, and you should hear from him. Sthane sthitah. You remain in your place. You remain American. You remain Indian. You remain Christian. You remain a Hindu. You remain black. You remain white. You remain woman, man, whatever you are. Simply you lend your ear to the discourses given by realized souls. This is recommended. And when you hear, then you contemplate also. Just like you are hearing me. If you contemplate that "What Swamiji said...?" Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. Sruti-gatam. Sruti means just receiving through the ear. If you contemplate and try to understand with your body, mind, then gradually you'll... Because your aim is self-realization. So self means Superself. The Supreme Lord, He's the Supreme Self. We are part and parcel. So by this process, Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, God, Ajita, one who is never conquered... If you... By challenge, if you want to know God, you'll never understand. God never accepts challenge. Because God is great. Why should He accept your challenge. If you say, "Oh, my dear God, please come here. I shall see You," so God is not like that, that He will carry your order. You must carry His order. Then God realization. God says: "You surrender," sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja (BG 18.66). That process, you'll learn God. Not that "Oh, I shall know God. I have got good intelligence, speculate." No.

So this hearing... We are talking of the hearing. The hearing process is so important. All our, this institute, Krsna consciousness movement has spread because the students who have joined us, they have given aural reception, by hearing. The hearing, everything was changed within themselves and they have joined with full, whole-heartedness, and the... Going on. So hearing is so important. We are opening so many centers just to give people chance of hearing about the transcendental message. So you take chance, you take, I mean to say, the advantage of this hearing process.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 2.3.19 -- Los Angeles, June 14, 1972:

Everything is product of Krsna, energy. So we are not worshiping stone. We are worshiping Krsna in a form which is tangible for us, that's all. Not that Krsna is stone. Krsna is stone also, because stone is nothing but Krsna's energy. So in this way you should understand what is Krsna consciousness. Don't remain foolish Perfect knowledge. Perfect knowledge. Kasmin tu bhagavo vijnate sarvam idam vijnatam bhavati. Simply if you understand Krsna, everything will be known to you. And if you actually understand Krsna, then your life is successful. Immediately you are eligible to go back to home, back to Godhead. Immediately. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). "That man who has understood Me rightly, he is no more coming back to accept this temporary material body. He comes to me." So try to understand Krsna, and the beginning is karna-patha, these holes of the ear. Lend your ears to hear from the devotee. That's all. Na yat-karna-pathopetah. It is not that you have to pass MAD, DHC, no.

Simply lend your ear, "Oh, let us hear about Krsna." Then everything is all right. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. Krsna is unconquerable, but if you simply hear about Him in your position, sruti-gatam, through the aural reception, you will conquer Krsna. Krsna's name is Ajita, nobody can conquer Krsna. But if you simply hear about Krsna, time will come, you will conquer Krsna. Like the gopis. They conquered Krsna. Krsna was within the hand, or the grip, of the gopis. Krsna could not go away even an inch from Vrndavana on account of the gopis. What was their education? They were village girls. Not even brahmana. Uneducated girls, village girls, but they conquered Krsna. So this aural reception is so great. Read little more.