Krishna-katha

Govindaram · January 22, 2004

 Conditioned Souls Benefit From Hearing Vedic Literature- 

The following is a small sample of literally hundreds of statements in

Srila Prabhupada's books stressing the importance of the conditioned soul's hearing Vedic literature. Krishna-katha

 Out of compassion, Krishna compiled the Vedic literature for the liberation of the conditioned souls: 

[Lord Caitanya said,] "The conditioned soul cannot revive his Krishna consciousness by his own effort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord Krishna compiled the Vedic literature and its supplements, the Puranas. The forgetful conditioned soul is educated by Krishna through the Vedic literatures, the realized spiritual master and the Supersoul...In this way one can acquire real knowledge of his conditioned life and can come to understand how to attain liberation."

Out of His causeless mercy and compassion, Krishna has compiled various Vedic literatures in His incarnation as Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva is a Saktyavesa-avatara of Lord Krishna. He has very kindly presented these literatures to awaken the conditioned soul to his senses. Unfortunately, at the present moment the conditioned souls are guided by demons who do not care to read the Vedic literatures. Although there is an immense treasure-house of knowledge, people are engaged in reading useless literature that will give them no information on how to get out of the clutches of maya...

As the Saktyavesa-avatara Vyasadeva, Krishna teaches the conditioned soul through Vedic literatures. Krishna externally appears as the spiritual master and trains the conditioned soul to come to Krishna consciousness. When his original Krishna consciousness is revived, the conditioned soul is delivered from the material clutches. Thus a conditioned soul is always helped by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in three ways-by the scriptures, the spiritual master and the Supersoul within the heart.

Cc. Madhya 20.122-123

 By hearing the transcendental pastimes of Krishna, one goes back home, back to Godhead: 

Following in the holy footsteps of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, we have tried to present this book Krishna for being read and heard by the conditioned souls of this age. By hearing the pastimes of Lord Krishna, one is sure and certain to get salvation and be transferred back home, back to Godhead. It is recommended by Sukadeva Gosvami that as we hear the transcendental pastimes and activities of the Lord, we gradually cut the knots of material contamination. Therefore, regardless of what one is, if one wants the association of Lord Krishna in the transcendental kingdom of God for eternity in blissful existence, one must hear about the pastimes of Lord Krishna and chant the maha-mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Krishna, Ch. 21

 Hearing (and chanting) the Vedic literature will bring peace and prosperity to the world: 

O King, it is therefore essential that every human being hear, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead always and everywhere.

And for hearing only, all the Vedic literatures are there, compiled by authorized persons like Vyasadeva, who is the powerful incarnation of Godhead. And as it is ascertained that the Lord is the Supersoul of everything, He should therefore be heard and glorified everywhere and always. That is the special duty of the human being. And the human being, when he gives up the process of hearing about the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, becomes victim to hearing rubbish...It is said here that it is incumbent upon the human beings to hear because the scriptures like Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, etc., are made for that purpose. Living beings other than human beings have no capacity to hear such Vedic literatures. If the human society gives itself to the process of hearing the Vedic literature, it will not become victim to the impious sounds vibrated by impious men who degrade the standards of the total society. Hearing is solidified by the process of chanting. One who has perfectly heard from the perfect source becomes convinced about the all-pervading Personality of Godhead and thus becomes enthusiastic in the matter of glorifying the Lord. All the great acaryas, like Ramanuja, Madhva, Caitanya, Sarasvati Thakura or even, in other countries, Muhammad, Christ and others, have all extensively glorified the Lord by chanting always and in every place. Because the Lord is all-pervading, it is essential to glorify Him always and everywhere. In the process of glorifying the Lord there should be no restriction of time and space. This is called sanatana-dharma, or bhagavata-dharma. Sanatana means eternal, always and everywhere. Bhagavata means pertaining to Bhagavan, the Lord. The Lord is the master of all time and all space, and therefore the Lord's holy name must be heard, glorified and remembered everywhere in the world, and that will bring about the desired peace and prosperity so eagerly awaited by the people of the world.

Bhag. 2.2.36

 The purifying effect of Krishna-katha: 

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter of hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists.

The topics of Lord Krishna are so auspicious that they purify the speaker, the hearer, and the inquirer. They are compared to the Ganges waters, which flow from the toe of Lord Krishna. Wherever the Ganges waters go, they purify the land and the person who bathes in them. Similarly, Krishna-katha, or the topics of Krishna, are so pure that wherever they are spoken, the place, the hearer, the inquirer, the speaker and all concerned become purified.

Bhag. 2.1.1

 The Krishna consciousness movement gives people a chance to hear about Krishna: 

By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

Bhag. 1.2.18

All the great acaryas strongly recommend that people be given a chance to hear about the Supreme Lord. Then success is assured. The more we cleanse the dirt of material attachment from our hearts, the more we will be attracted by Krishna's name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and activities. This is the sum and substance of the Krishna consciousness movement.

Bhag. 5.18.11

 Readers of Krishna literature can attain the ultimate goal of human life: 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is always full of six opulences-namely complete wealth, complete strength, complete fame, complete knowledge, complete beauty and complete renunciation. The Lord appears in different complete, eternal forms of incarnation. The conditioned soul has immense opportunity to hear about the transcendental activities of the Lord in these different incarnations. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, janma karma ca me divyam [bg. 4.9]. The pastimes and activities of the Lord are not material; they are beyond the material conception. But the conditioned soul can benefit by hearing such uncommon activities. Hearing is an opportunity to associate with the Lord; to hear His activities is to evolve to the transcendental nature-simply by hearing. The conditioned soul has a natural aptitude to hear something about other conditioned souls in the form of fiction, drama and novel. That inclination to hear something about others may be utilized in hearing the pastimes of the Lord. Then one can immediately evolve to his transcendental nature. Krishna's pastimes are not only beautiful; they are also very pleasing to the mind.

If someone takes advantage of hearing the pastimes of the Lord, the material contamination of dust, accumulated in the heart due to long association with material nature, can be immediately cleansed...Conditional life is due to this contamination only, and as soon as it is cleared off, then naturally the dormant function of the living entity-rendering service to the Lord-awakens. By developing his eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord, one becomes eligible to create friendship with the devotees. Maharaja Pariksit recommended, from practical experience, that everyone try to hear about the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. This Krishna treatise is meant for that purpose, and the reader may take advantage in order to attain the ultimate goal of human life.

Krishna, Ch. 7

 By hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam all miseries are uprooted, and the Supreme Lord is established within one's heart: 

Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.

Bhag. 1.1.2

taken from the folio Infobase

stonehearted · January 22, 2004

ad idam srotum icchamo

gaditum yadi manyase

bruhi nah sraddadhananam

yasya jnanam adac chukah

TRANSLATION

We all respectfully want to hear about him [Maharaja Pariksit] to whom Sukadeva Gosvami imparted transcendental knowledge. Please speak on this matter.

PURPORT

Sukadeva Gosvami imparted transcendental knowledge to Maharaja Pariksit during the remaining seven days of his life, and Maharaja Pariksit heard him properly, just like an ardent student. The effect of such a bona fide hearing and chanting of Srimad-Bhagavatam was equally shared by both the hearer and the chanter. Both of them were benefited. Out of the nine different transcendental means of devotional service to the Lord prescribed in the Bhagavatam, either all of them, or some of them or even one of them are equally beneficial if properly discharged. Maharaja Pariksit and Sukadeva Gosvami were serious performers of the first two important items, namely the process of chanting and the process of hearing, and therefore both of them were successful in their laudable attempt. Transcendental realization is attained by such serious hearing and chanting and not otherwise. There is a type of spiritual master and disciple much advertised in this age of Kali. It is said that the master injects spiritual force into the disciple by an electrical current generated by the master, and the disciple begins to feel the shock. He becomes unconscious, and the master weeps for his exhausting his store of so-called spiritual assets. Such bogus advertisement is going on in this age, and the poor common man is becoming the victim of such advertisement. We do not find such folk tales in the dealings of Sukadeva Gosvami and his great disciple Maharaja Pariksit. The sage recited Srimad-Bhagavatam in devotion, and the great King heard him properly. The King did not feel any shock of electrical current from the master, nor did he become unconscious while receiving knowledge from the master. One should not, therefore, become a victim of these unauthorized advertisements made by some bogus representative of Vedic knowledge. The sages of Naimisaranya were very respectful in hearing about Maharaja Pariksit because of his receiving knowledge from Sukadeva Gosvami by means of ardent hearing. Ardent hearing from the bona fide master is the only way to receive transcendental knowledge, and there is no need for medical performances or occult mysticism for miraculous effects. The process is simple, but only the sincere party can achieve the desired result.

SB 1.12.3

And no, Viginia, I don't think working on your email during Srimad-Bhagavatam class would be considered "ardent hearing."