The devotional service, which we follow, there are in different stages:
- śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥsmaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
- arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁsakhyam ātma-nivedanam
- (SB 7.5.23)
There are nine different courses, of which the first step, śravaṇam, is very important. Very important. Śravaṇam: to hear. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving chance to the people to hear about God. That’s all. It is nothing. We don’t charge anything for this. We don’t say any bogus thing, that you press your nose and this and that, then you realize. No. The simple method. Just like you see when we are chanting and people are hearing, even this child, this small child, he was also taking pleasure, he was also dancing. He was feeling . . . she was feeling; otherwise how she could dance? You see?
So this feeling can be aroused, God consciousness, simply by these sixteen words’ chant, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. And after chanting, if they hear something from the authoritative literatures . . . we have got Śrīmad Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita, Brahma-saṁhitā, many other things. But even one has no time to hear, he can chant and hear. He can chant himself and hear, and he will feel . . .
- śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
- puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
- (SB 1.2.17)
This chanting and hearing is so pious that it will gradually cleanse your heart, and you will understand what is God—what is God, what is your relationship with Him, what is His function, what is your function. All these things will come automatically, gradually. It will take some . . . just like to cure a disease it takes some time, not that immediately you give the medicine and immediately he becomes cured.
Immediately he becomes cured, of course, by hearing, provided one hears properly. But it is not possible, because we are associated with this material contamination. It requires little time. But this is the only process of this age. Simply you hear this chanting, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and hear, and if you have got time you can read books. That is also hearing.
So we have established this center. We are very glad that you have come. It is newly started. If you come here, we are holding classes on Monday and Wednesday and Friday—three classes. Morning also, the inmates of the temple, they hold daily kīrtana, but for outsiders we especially hold classes three days in a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So it is not very troublesome task.