Engaging in Hearing About God - The Foundational Process of Devotion
The process of spiritual realization begins with the ear. According to the Vedic literature, engaging in hearing about God is the most powerful and foundational method for cleansing the heart, transcending the bodily conception of life, and reviving our dormant, eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord.
The Power of Transcendental Sound
Because the Supreme Lord is absolute, His name, form, and pastimes are nondifferent from Him. Śrīla Prabhupāda states that when a devotee constantly engages in hearing about Kṛṣṇa, the Lord acts as a best-wishing friend within the heart to thoroughly purify their consciousness.
- For one who hears about Krsna, Lord Krsna, who is dwelling in everyone's heart, acts as a best-wishing friend and purifies the devotee who constantly engages in hearing of Him.
- The activities of Krsna are nondifferent from Krsna Himself. As long as one is engaged in hearing such transcendental activities of Krsna, he remains aloof from the conditional life of material existence.
- Whoever engages in hearing the transcendental activities of Krsna is not on the material platform, but on the transcendental, spiritual platform.
- If living entities are engaged in hearing about the unlimited potencies of the Supreme Lord, they are factually connected directly to the unlimited. Such understanding of the unlimited becomes unlimited by hearing and chanting.
Transcending the Material Condition
The material world is characterized by the constant pangs of hunger, thirst, fear, and illusion. However, Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that whoever becomes fully absorbed in hearing the glories of the Lord is immediately lifted above these mundane distresses and situated on the spiritual platform.
- When one is in the bodily conception, he feels the pangs of hunger and thirst, fear, lamentation and illusion. But when one is engaged in hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, he transcends the bodily conception.
- He is misled and always attracted by temporary, illusory happiness. But Your transcendental activities are so powerful that if one engages in the hearing and chanting of such topics, he can be delivered from illusion.
- If one is engaged in hearing the glories of the Lord, gradually he realizes his real position.
- For anyone who persistently engages in hearing the topics of the Lord from Srimad Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Caitanya-caritamrta and who is actually addicted to this process, it is very easy to cross the nescience of material existence.
Perfecting the Senses
The senses must be actively engaged, otherwise they will be dragged into material sense gratification. Śrīla Prabhupāda instructs that the specific perfection of the ear is achieved by constantly receiving the transcendental sound vibration of Kṛṣṇa's pastimes and the holy name, effectively blocking out destructive Māyāvāda philosophy.
- The function of the ear can be perfected simply by engagement in hearing the transcendental activities of the Lord, and the function of the head can be fully utilized when the head is engaged in bowing down before the Lord and His representative.
- As far as the eyes are concerned, they should not be allowed to see anything but Krsna. That will control the eyes. Similarly, the ears should be engaged in hearing about Krsna and the nose in smelling the flowers offered to Krsna.
- He (the pure brahmacari) restrains himself from the vibrations of material sounds, and his hearing is engaged in the transcendental sound vibration of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna.
- If our ears are always engaged in hearing the glorification of the Lord, there will be no scope for hearing the Mayavada philosophy, which is doom to spiritual progress.
A Continuous Engagement
Spiritual life is not a part-time hobby; it requires constant absorption. Śrīla Prabhupāda emphasizes that this engagement of hearing and chanting should continue twenty-four hours a day, assuring that even immense lifespans, like that of Svāyambhuva Manu, are perfectly utilized when dedicated to hearing about God.
- The word abhiksnasah indicates that these engagements (hearing, chanting and preaching) should go on continuously, twenty-four hours a day without stopping.
- For one who is anxious to engage constantly in hearing such topics, krsna-katha gradually increases his indifference towards all other things.
- Although his (Svayambhuva Manu) duration of life gradually came to an end, his long life, consisting of a Manvantara era, was not spent in vain, since he ever engaged in hearing, contemplating, writing down and chanting the pastimes of the Lord.
- Because most people are fallen and because there is no time to elevate them by a gradual process, the best course, according to Caitanya, is to let them remain in whatever condition they are in but to engage them in hearing of the activities of the God.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Śrīla Prabhupāda establishes that engaging the ear in hearing about God is the bedrock of all spiritual advancement. Because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is absolute, His transcendental pastimes and holy names are nondifferent from Him. Therefore, by constantly filling the ear with kṛṣṇa-kathā, the devotee directly associates with Kṛṣṇa, who reciprocates by acting as the supreme purifying friend within the heart. This continuous engagement in śravaṇam serves as an impenetrable shield against dangerous philosophies like Māyāvāda and completely lifts the practitioner above the illusions, fears, and material pangs associated with the bodily conception of life. Recognizing the fallen nature of the current age, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heavily emphasized this specific process, advising that anyone, regardless of their position, can conquer the Supreme Lord simply by submissively hearing about Him. When a sincere soul becomes addicted to this process, engaging in hearing twenty-four hours a day, their material attachments naturally wither away, guaranteeing their swift and successful return back home, back to Godhead.
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Śrīla Prabhupāda lives within his instructions. This article is a summary of the profound truths found in the Vaniquotes category Engaging in Hearing About God. We invite you to visit this link to study the complete compilation and experience Śrīla Prabhupāda's teachings in their direct, verbatim form.