Vaniquotes:Quote of the day/November 15, 2008

Formerly, before the beginning of Kali-yuga, almost everyone, especially among the intelligent men, the brāhmaṇas, was a śruti-dhara.

CC Adi 16.44, Purport: In this connection, śruti-dhara is a very important word. Śruti means “hearing,” and dhara means “one who can capture.” Formerly, before the beginning of Kali-yuga, almost everyone, especially among the intelligent men, the brāhmaṇas, was a śruti-dhara. As soon as a student heard any of the Vedic wisdom from his master, he would remember it forever. There was no need to refer to books, and therefore there were no written books in those days. The spiritual master delivered the Vedic hymns and their explanations to the student, who would then remember them forever, without consulting books.