SB 3.6.13–17 – Hearing Is Most Important

Giriraj Swami: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, [Canto Six,] Chapter Three

TEXT 13

nirbhinnaṁ tālu varuṇo
loka-pālo ’viśad dhareḥ
jihvayāṁśena ca rasaṁ
yayāsau pratipadyate

TRANSLATION

When the ears of the gigantic form became manifested, all the controlling deities of the directions entered into them with the hearing principles, by which all the living entities hear and take advantage of sound.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The ear is the most important instrument in the body of the living entity. Sound is the most important medium for carrying the message of distant and unknown things. The perfection of all sound or knowledge enters through the ear and makes one’s life perfect. The entire Vedic system of knowledge is received by aural reception only, and thus sound is the most important source of knowledge. 

COMMENT

Always endeavoring to acquire knowledge because by knowledge we can control various aspects of the world, and we can enjoy the various aspects of the world. So knowledge is most important for everyone. It is important for the materialist, and it is important for the transcendentalist. But there are different ways of acquiring knowledge, and there is different evidence by which one can ascertain knowledge. One type of evidence is direct perception. But direct perception is faulty because the senses themselves are defective, and any information we receive through the senses will also be defective. Just like the sun, when perceived through the senses, appears to be some disk in the sky, which is so small that one can cover it with one’s hand. But we hear from authority that the sun is actually many thousands and millions of times bigger than the earth. But it appears to be very small because it is so far away.

Then another type of evidence is called Anumantā, or conjecture. For example, we are sitting in the room, but we hear some sounds coming from outside the room. So we cannot actually see where the sounds are coming from. But we conjecture that the sounds are coming from some motor vehicles which are passing on the road outside the building. But we cannot directly see the motor vehicles and we cannot say for sure whether the sound is actually coming from motor vehicles or not. But if it is, we cannot say for sure whether it is coming from a bus or a truck or a car, whether it is coming from a Toyota or a Ford or a BMW. So we can get some knowledge through conjecture, but that knowledge is also not sure. So perfect knowledge can be acquired through shanta, or from sound, hearing sound from perfect source of knowledge. Hearing the sound from the authorities, we can learn everything about the sound, we can learn everything about motor vehicles, and we can learn everything about any subject.

But the most important subject is the subject of the Self, and the relationship of the Self with the Supreme Self. And the Self, as well as the Supreme Self, are beyond the direct perception of the senses. In fact, the Lord is known as Adhoksaja. Adhoksaja means that He lies beyond the reach of the senses and the mind. And He cannot be approached by direct perception or by speculative arguments. So, Adhoksaja. So, if we want to know about the Supreme Truth, we must hear from authorities. And therefore the hearing process is the most important process in spiritual realization. And therefore the first step in that realization is to hear from authoritative sources, śravaṇam (SB 1.2.17)—

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām

Krishna consciousness is promoted by giving people the chance to hear. And the whole Krishna consciousness movement has actually developed simply from the process of hearing. In 1971, Srila Prabhupada held the first big pandal in Calcutta. And at the time, the communists were very prominent in Calcutta, especially the Naxalites who were young communist and they had the idea to kidnap or intimidate rich men to get money from them, to support their cause of communist especially in Bengal. So the mood in Calcutta was very much under the influence of communists and Naxalites. And he erected one huge pandal [Unintelligible 00:10:50]

So naturally communist didn’t like the attempt and before the pandal began some newspaper reporters came to meet Srila Prabhupada in the tent behind the stage. And they asked him in a very challenging way, what is the purpose for spending so much money on a pandal? Prabhupada replied that the purpose is to give people a chance to hear. They already thought that the function was useless. Then when Prabhupada said that the purpose is to give people the chance to hear, they probably thought it was more useful. Then Srila Prabhupada explained that the whole Krishna consciousness movement had actually developed by hearing people. Srila Prabhupada went to the West without any resources, and he simply chanted Hare Krishna and preached Bhagavad-gītā. Or in other words, he gave people the chance to hear the transcendental sound vibration. And when they heard that their Krishna consciousness awakened, and they volunteered to do so many services, the whole movement developed simply because people were given the chance to hear. So hearing is so important. Therefore the ear is the most important of senses. When the other senses are asleep the sense of hearing remains awake. When the person is asleep you can make motions in front of his face, but he won’t see anything. You can put a sign in front of his face but he won’t see anything but if you call him, Prabhu, it is time to get up; it is time to go to the maṅgala-ārati. Then, because the sense of hearing remains awake, he will hear the call and respond.

The sleeping souls can also be awakened by hearing the transcendental sounds. So hearing is most important. So how does the process of hearing work? śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ,puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ the act of hearing the messages of Krishna itself makes one higher. Even if we don’t understand if we simply hear we become pious and hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi even the heart there are many dirty things, many dirty desires but we have to become free from dirty desires or dirty desires have to be cleansed from within the heart. But we are not able to remove the dirty desires by our own personal effort. We need help. So, vidhunoti suhṛt satām, the Lord is actually the best friend of living entity, and He is situated within the heart. The dirty things are situated within the heart, and the Lord also is situated within the heart. So when the Lord sees that the devotee is eager to revive His relationship with the Lord, and hear His messages, then the Lord, who is within the heart, helps the devotee by personally cleaning up the dirty things within the heart. Suhṛt means friend or benefactor. We are not alone in our efforts, the Lord is also there with us in the heart to help us. suhṛt satām. satām means truthful devotee. Actually devotee must be, real devotee means truthful. satām means truthful devotee not a hypocrite, not a pretender. A truthful devotee is one who has no other interest besides devotional service, and he serves the Lord morning to night. He doesn’t render service as a sort of business. Like he does the business for some hours, and then he keeps some hours for other things. Dirty things. Therefore Lord often says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.10),

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te

Those who are constantly engaged, to them he gives the intelligence by which they can come to him. So, intelligence is already there. But then again, there are two types of intelligence. One is pure intelligence that shows us how to attain Krishna and the other is dirty intelligence that shows us how to cheat people and exploit. Dirty intelligence is also explained in Bhagavad-gītā. duṣkṛtina, in order to have intelligence, one must have performed some meritorious work but sometime the intelligence is misdirected for dirty things. They have intelligence, they can execute intelligence plans, but the plans are no good. They are not good duṣkṛtina so, we have to make the intelligence purified so that intelligence instead of figuring ways to cheat people and exploit other persons and situation. Intelligence should be used to lead us to Krishna. So that is buddhi-yoga. Buddhi is there, even the animals have buddhi, even rakshasa have buddhi, but buddhi—yoga means intelligence which is connected to Krishna.

That will bring us into the proper relationship with Krishna that is buddhi-yoga. So that intelligence is given by Krishna from within the heart. When the devotee is constantly engaged in the service of the Lord in another word when the devotee is truthful, He has no other desire besides Krishna’s. Not that for twenty-three hours he is serving the Lord, but for one hour He is making plans and making endeavors how to fulfill the dirty desire. Then the Lord will not cleanse the dirty desires. The Lord cleanses the dirty desires when the devotee is truthful, straightforward.

So, Krishna is actually the most intelligent, He knows the real desires a person has. And if the person really desires Krishna, then Krishna will help, He will clean the heart. But if the person has other desires, but he is just making the show of devotional service or he may have mixed desires, he may have desire to serve Krishna and at same time desire to enjoy matter, so then Krishna won’t act in the same way. Although he is merciful, in any case, but sometimes he is merciful by punishing the devotee, because when the Lord punished the devotee that is also for the devotee’s benefit, so that the devotee will become purified of the sinful desires.

We have the story in Bhāgavatam of Nalakuvara and Manigriva. They were sons of Kuvera who was the treasurer of the demigods. So often children of rich parents become degraded because they have more opportunity for sense gratification. And they may have less experience of the hard work, poverty, and other conditions that might humble them. So they tend to be proud and prone to degradation of sense gratification. The sons of Kuvera were no exception. So they have some touch with devotional service, in fact they have Narada Muni as spiritual master. Because at the same time they desired sense gratification, they offended Narada Muni. Narada Muni was passing and they were so intoxicated and enjoying themselves with women, they couldn’t realize that Narada Muni was before them. So they continued in the same intoxicated way. So Narada Muni cursed them that they should take birth as a tree. Actually trees have a very sinful birth because trees have to stand exposed to the elements without any shelter and they have to stand up for years on end with arms stretched, if we have to stand even for five minutes, with arms stretched it becomes very painful. So they have to stand like that, for years, and be exposed to the rain, the scorching heat, the cold, the various onslaught of material nature. So the tree birth is very sinful, very wrong.

So the two brothers were cursed by Narada Muni to take birth as trees. Well, somehow they came to their senses and they surrendered, and they appealed to Narada Muni to save them, so without withdrawing the curse that they take birth as trees. He arranged that they should take birth as trees in Vrindavan in the house of Nanda Maharaja, so ultimately they can be delivered by Lord Krishna. So, when the Lord punishes someone or when the devotee curses someone, of Course the devotee never really curses in the materialistic senses. But when the Lord, or the devotee, arranges for someone to be punished, it is actually for the benefit of the person. So that he can be rectified of course the karmis, they simply suffer. They simply suffer like animals suffer. But The Lord gives special favor to devotees with material desires, in the sense that He punishes them by forcibly taking away their material attachments. Or by punishing them. So it is not actually a punishment, it is actually a blessing. This is the special mercy of the Lord upon the hypocritical devotees or mixed devotees but He allows them to maintain the attachment with the devotion of service. But he punishes them so that their false attachments can be broken

So there are two processes by which Krishna helps the devotee. One is the internal process where the devotee is truthful and it becomes actually eager to hear about Krishna, eager to hear about Krishna because He actually wants to get out of the material world. He doesn’t want to stay in the material world to enjoy in the name of devotional service, but he actually wants to get out of the material world. Then he becomes very eager to hear about Krishna because by hearing about Krishna He can understand how He can get out of the material world and how He can attain the shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord. Then when one is really sincere about getting admitted into the devotional service of the Lord, into the transcendental kingdom of the Lord, then the Lord from within the heart, He helps to clean up the dirt. The dirt means the desire to enjoy matters, and specifically the desire to enjoy love and women.

Love and women are very great stumbling blocks on the path of devotion, and even good devotees have become victims of wealth and women because we are associated with wealth and women since a very long time, and therefore it is not unnatural for us to feel restless in the contact of love and women. And in many schools of transcendental thought, the candidates are advised to strictly avoid the contact of wealth and women. Because the contact may aggravate the previous conditions, desires to enjoy. So it is not unnatural to become restless in the contact of wealth and women.

But if one is serious about devotional service, then even in the contact of wealth and women one can be saved by the grace of the Lord, because the Lord is Madana Mohan. He is the enchanter of Cupid. Cupid keeps the world enchanted by sex attraction. But if one becomes attracted to Madana Mohan, to the beautiful deity form of the Lord, then one will be saved from the attraction of Madana. So the Lord is manifest in the form of the Deity, and He is also manifest in the form of transcendental sound. So when we give the ear to hear the transcendental sound of the Lord, we are actually associating with the Lord, and by associating with the Lord we become purified.

Of course the chanting and hearing should be without offense, to have the full effect. But when we chant and hear without offense, then certainly the Lord is present in the form of transcendental sound, and just by the association of the Lord we become purified. And then the Lord is again present within the heart as Paramātmā, and therefore He helps us by cleansing the dirty things, the dirty desires for material enjoyment from within the heart. So we are helped by the Lord in so many ways. He appears as the Deity to attract us, He appears in the form of transcendental sound to purify us, and He also acts from within the heart as our best friend to cleanse the dirty things which we are not able to cleanse by our own efforts. And the only requirement is that we should be truthful, satām. We should not be hypocrites. We should really have no other engagement outside of devotional service. Then we’ll get the benefit of having the best friend within the heart. But Even if we are a little hypocritical in the sense that we are performing devotional service and at the same time maintaining material desires, even then the Lord will help by arranging some nice punishment for us so that we can become free from dirty attachments.

Incidentally Srila Prabhupada gave the story of Manigriva and Nalakuvara As evidence, that persons who dress as devotees and pose as devotees but who actually desire self-gratification or sinful activities, they take birth in lower species in Vrindavan because they had, somehow or other they had some touch with devotional service. They’re dressing as devotees and talking like devotees, acting like devotees, but at the same time they had sinful desires, maybe they engaged in sinful activities. So they are given the chance to take birth as plants or animals in Vrindavan, as there in Vrindavan there are many dogs and hogs and monkeys. So where did all the dogs and hogs and monkeys come from? Srila Prabhupada said that they were actually pseudo devotees, and because of being sinful they were punished by having to take birth in lower species. But because they did have, somehow or other, some contact with devotional service, they take birth in Vrindavan and because of purifying effects of Vrindavan dhāma, they can be purified from the sinful reactions and delivered like the two sons of Kuvera, and they can return to their original positions and eventually make, eventually become pure devotees.

So the laws of action and reaction are very intricate, and therefore if someone comes in contact with Krishna consciousness, He can expect that He’ll get some favor from the Lord. But at the same time, you know if he maintains sinful desires or activities then you will have to suffer. The disciple has to become free from the attachments so long as, you know, that is the beauty of Krishna consciousness, that somehow or other if we come in contact with Krishna consciousness, we will be benefited, we will be helped. And even if we have to suffer for some time, what is that? I am sure you’ve already been suffering for so many lifetimes. So if we have to suffer for one or two lifetimes more to get rid of sinful desires, what is that? That is not a big price to pay for the most valuable attainment for love of Krishna. But then again, if we are really intelligent, then we can give up all duplicity and just become truthful devotees. And then we can be purified by the other method, by hearing and being helped by the Lord within the heart.

Are there any questions or comments?

Sinful, he still gets the chance to hear. And by the process of hearing, he gets a little purified.

Devotee 1: [Unintelligible—00:42:32]

Giriraj Swami: So it is true I am repeating much the scriptures and what spiritual master has said.

Devotee 1: [Unintelligible—00:44:00]

Giriraj Swami: That is true. Even if someone is sinful, he still gets a chance to hear. By the process of hearing he gets a little purified and then when he actually can perceive the importance of Krishna consciousness, then he begins the process in full. And then the real purification takes place. So we give everyone a chance to hear, we go on street and perform hari-nāma saṅkīrtana so if someone gets little attracted, then he can come to the temple associated with the devotees and he gets a favorable chance to hear. Then by hearing and hearing and hearing and hearing, then gradually he can understand that yes this is the truth, and then he begins to really practice devotional service. Then the daily things start to get worked out. First ādau śraddhā, first comes some attraction, some sympathy, some faith then tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo Then one starts to associate with the devotees. And when he associates with the devotees, the material world is not a nice place. Yes, I have been trying to enjoy the material world, but I have not been successful. Neither I can be successful because the material world is made in such a way that we cannot enjoy.

For a little bit of enjoyment, we have to undergo so much suffering. So actually we cannot enjoy it, really. So Then when the person understands that yes, I have been vaguely trying to enjoy in the material world, but actually I am not able to, then he takes to the process for getting out of the material world, called bhajana-kriyā. And then anartha-nivṛtti, when the dirty things are within the heart they start to get worked on. They start to get cleaned up.

Now, there is another phenomenon where the person is suffering, but he thinks he is enjoying it. This is the usual case in the material world. Just like the pig, we were talking about pigs. So the pig, he is living in the most filthy place. He is eating stool and having sex with anybody and everybody. He is living the most filthy, abominable existence. But he thinks that he is happy. He thinks that he is happy, and therefore he is so fatty. Srila Prabhupada says no one can be fatty unless he thinks he is happy. So he is fatty, which means he thinks he is happy. But what is happiness? Happiness is an illusion. Happiness is maya. Those with another standard of happiness, they can see that this is not actually happiness.

There is another story of Indra. Indra also committed some offense. And he was cursed to take birth as a pig. So after some time, because he is the king of heaven he is one of the most important demigods. So the demigods, they felt that okay, he spent enough time as a pig, let him come back. So, Lord Brahma personally came to planet earth to see Indra, and he said that alright Indra, the time is over. You can come back and become the king of heaven. But Indra, in the body of the pig, thought that he was happy as a pig. And he didn’t want to leave the piglets. He said, “I am sorry I can’t go, I have my she-pig, I have my little piglets, and I am very respected by the other pigs. I have my position in the community, I have my prestige. I can’t leave. I don’t want to leave, but I can’t leave.” So then Lord Brahma, he showed the mercy of the devotee, and he killed the she-pig and the little piglets. Then, Indra came to his senses. When his false attachments were broken, he came to his senses. And then he realized what a fool I am, I have been living in filth, I have become enamored by pigs. Then he very happily went back to his position as Indra.

 So that is the illusion that due to maya, we think that we are enjoying ourselves, but actually we are not enjoying ourselves. That is the meaning of illusion, that actually we are suffering, but we think that we are enjoying it. But then, when the false attachments become broken they realize, that actually, it is not such a happy situation. Can we come back to Krishna?

Devotee 2: [Unintelligible—00:52:47]

Giriraj Swami: Yes. That is tapasya that we voluntarily give up something that we are attached to for the sake of spiritual advancement, and then in the end we enjoy it more. We perform tapasya to become purified and when we become purified. [Unintelligent 00:55:40] we perform tapasya to become purified and then when we purified [Unintelligent 00:55:50] we can enjoy unlimited transcendental bliss so we perform the austerity for some time but in the end when we are purified, we can enjoy unlimited spiritual bliss. And that will really satisfy the soul.

You see, one poet has prayed that the soul is thirsting for happiness. And the material world is like a desert and there is no happiness for the soul. The only little happiness is sex, and the happiness of sex is compared to one drop of water. So if you are in the desert and you are dying for something to drink, and someone says, okay, I will give you one drop. Well, you can say that the drop is water, but what is the value of one drop? You require gallons of water. You require oceans. You want to jump in the water and swim in space. What will one drop do? So that soul really requires oceans of pleasure, and we can get the oceans of pleasure if we purify ourselves by performing a little austerity of giving up some things which are nasty. Smoking cigarettes. Yes.

Devotee 3: [Unintelligible—00:58:20]

Giriraj Swami: The question is should one be pushed into shaving the head and wearing the dress of a devotee.

Devotee 3: [Unintelligible—00:59:09]

Giriraj Swami: No. The first thing is hearing, from hearing comes understanding and once you voluntarily shave, shave the head and wear the dress of a Vaishnava then you are free to do so. But the real thing is hearing the understanding. Main thing is consciousness, the dress and other regulations can help but the real thing is consciousness. The Consciousness is changed by hearing- by offenseless hearing and chanting and serving, sincere service. When we sincere service that will help him, Krishna never forgets even the smallest service done by some devotee. So even if devotees have difficulty later on Krishna always keeps in mind the service He doesn’t allow the person to go He keeps them nice in service, tries to bring the person back again.

So if you start sincerely, then ultimately, Krishna will know, keep track of you and somehow other, He will find the opportunity to bring you back again. So the main thing is just to place ourselves in the hand of the Lord. We have our own conditioning and we have our weaknesses, but if we just place ourselves in the hands of the Lord, somehow rather, He will find some way to help us. If you are very stubborn then we might have to suffer more or longer but if we begin the Lord won’t let us go. That, glorious is the Lord who never leaves His servant and glorious is the servant who never leaves His master. And if by chance the servant happens to fall down and go away, glorious is that Lord who grabs the servant by the hair and brings him back. Don’t let him go. Lord Chaitanya has one personal servant named Krishnadasa and when Lord Chaitanya was traveling in forest with Krishnadasa. Somehow Krishnadasa got lured by some gypsy lady and he was actually staying with them for little time and Lord Chaitanya saw where Krishnadasa and so when He found him with gypsy and He brought him back and He saved him.

So maya is so strong, especially sex attraction so strong that even if someone is in the personal association of Lord Chaitanya, he can become bewildered. But Lord Chaitanya, at least in the case of Krishnadasa, went personally and got Him back. So maya is very strong. We should never underestimate the power of maya. But the process is easy; chant Hare Krishna, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam but to get free from maya is not easy, it requires a lot of effort. Because of other process it is easy but it is made easier by grace of Lord more you surrendered to Him, more you render service to Him, more He actively helps him.