Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.5.4. Easy path to happiness

Reading Srimad-Bhagavatam verse and translation

0:00Nasta praya Shabrišu Nitam Bhagavat Sevaya Bhagavatam Slowke Bhaktir Bhava Tina Sti, Yamprabra Janta Mano Peta Ma Peta Krityam dwaipayan Virakata Juhava, Putitam Mayatayotaravovedus, Tam Sarva Butahridyam Unimanat Shall I speak in English? Majority is for Russian. Okay but I think I'm supposed to speak in English, right? So Brading Srimad Bhagavatam can the Sri Chapterur five vidas talks to mat with matreya text number four right Tad therefore Sadhuvarya a great one among the saints. Adisha please instruct Vartma the Path Sham auspicious Na for us Samradi Taha Samradi being perfectly served Bhagavan the personality of Godhead Yena by which by which of the living entity of the believing entity residing in the heart. Residing in the heart. Yachati Awards Bhaktipute unto dhanaloid devotee gyyanam knowledge Sa Death Tatva Truth Adhigamanam Adhigamanam Adhigamam Adigam by which one learns Uranam authorized not many more English speaking. I'm still trying to figure out. Anyway. Okay. Tadsadu varyadisvard ma samna, Tad Sadu Varyadisha Vartma samna. Samradito Bhagavan Yena Pumsam, Samradito Bhagavan Yena Pum Sam, Samradito Bhagavany Pumsam, Ridisti Toyachati Bhakti Pute, Ridisti toya chatibhtipute, dyanam satatvadigam puranam jaamam Jyanam satatvadigampuranam, tatu varyadesvartman samna Samu Yada Samadama Samraditu Bhagavany Pumsam Hridhisti toyachati bhakti putte, bhakti putte, gyanam satatva digamampuranam, satatva digamamampurana Okay.

5:19Translation.

5:20Therefore, great sage, please give me instruction on the transcendental devotional service of the Lord so that He who is situated in the heart of everyone can be pleased to impart from within knowledge of the absolute truth, in terms of the ancient Vedic principles, delivered only to those who are purified by the process of devotional service.

5:54As already explained in the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the absolute truth is realized in three different phases. Although they are one and the same in terms of the norms' capacity to understand.

6:10The most capable transcendentalist is the pure devotee of the Lord who is without any tinge of fruit of actions or philosophical speculation.

6:22By devotional service only does one's heart become completely purified from all material coverings like karma, jñāna, and yoga.

6:34Only in such a purified stage does the Lord, who is seated in everyone's heart with the individual soul give instruction to so that the devotee can reach the ultimate destination of going back home, back to God.

6:56This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā. Teshāṁ satatā yuktānāṁ bhajatām. Only when the Lord is satisfied with the devotional service of the devotee, does he impart knowledge as he did for Arjuna and Uddhava?

7:13The jñānīs, yogīs and karmīs cannot expect this direct cooperation of the Lord. They are not able to satisfy the Lord by transcendental loving service, nor do they believe in such service to the Lord.

7:31The bhakti process is performed under the regulative principles of vidhī bhakti or devotional service following the prescribed rules and regulations, is defined by the revealed scriptures and confirmed by great ācāryas. This practice can help the neophyte devotee to rise to the stage of rāga-bhakti, in which the Lord responds from within, as the Chaitya Guru or the Spiritual Master, as superconsciousness.

8:08All transcendentalists, other than devotees make no distinction between the individual soul and the super soul because they miscalculate the superconsciousness and the individual consciousness to be one and the same.

8:26This miscalculation by the non-devotees makes them unfit to receive the direct direction from within and therefore, they are bereft of the direct cooperation of the Lord.

8:43After many, many births, when such a non-dualist comes to sense that the Lord is worshipable and that the devotee is simultaneously one with and different from the Lord they only can then only can he surrender unto the Lord Vāsudeva. Pure devotional service begins from this point.

9:10The process of understanding the absolute truths adopted by the misguided non-dualist is very difficult.

9:19Whereas the devotees' way of understanding the absolute truths comes directly from the Lord who is pleased by devotional service.

9:28On behalf of many Neafi devotees, Vidura had the very first instance inquired from Maitreya about the path of devotional service by which the Lord is who is sitteth within the heart can be pleased.

9:47Tatsadu Varyadishavartma Shamnach Samradito Bhagavany Pum Sam, Hritisti, To, Yachati Bhakti Pute, Gyanam, Sat Vadigamam Puranam.

10:02Therefore, great sage, please give me instruction on the transcendental devotional service of the Lord so that He who is situated in the heart of everyone can be pleased to impart from within knowledge of the absolute truth in terms of the ancient Vedic principles delivered only to those who are purified by the process of devotional service.

10:28Namam Vishnu Padaya Krishna Pristaya Bhutales Rimate Bhaktividanta Swami, Dinah, Namaste, Sarah Swati Devi, Gouravani Pracharini, Nirvish Sha Sunya Vadi, Paschatya De Shatari, Vanchakopataru Via Shakripa Shindube Krishna Chaitanya Prabhunita Nanda Siadvaita Gadata Rashivasa de Gaura Bhakta Vrinda Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.

11:07Ajanulam Vita puja opana kawada sam kirtanaya kapita roka maly taks, Vishwam Braw, Dja War, Yu Gdharma Palu, Vandai, Ja Gad Priya Karu, Karma Wat, Nandah praviši, Mamavachimu, Mampra Suptum, Sandji vai ki la Sapti Darah Swada So

11:36speaking English, right?

Vidura seeking instruction from sage Maitreya

11:40Okay. Vidura is asking questions from Maitreya. He met Maitreya on the bank of river Ganga at Haridvara after he parted with Udava.

12:02I actually heard from Muddhava that the Lord, Lord Krishna, while living this world, was remembering about Vidura. And naturally, it really touched his heart. Vidura must be very fortunate because the Lord,

12:26while parting from this world And specifically, the idea of the Lord is that Vidur also gets the same instruction which Udava have received from the Lord, but through Maitrey Muni.

12:43And therefore Udava didn't want to instruct vidura in the transcendental knowledge he received from the Lord because he said it's not proper. Nearby somebody who is much more senior is situated. Let him instruct you.

13:03It's a proper etiquette. In front of somebody who is senior, you're not supposed to give instructions.

13:11Sometimes, of course, if you are ordered, you will have to give instructions, like sometimes Prabhupada would sit in a class and he would order his disciple to give lecture.

13:23Naturally, the disciple would feel totally awkward and even stupid. Who am I to give the instruction?

13:34So in a similar way Udava didn't want to give instruction to Vidura and he said you go to Maitreya he's much more elderly and senior by age and by knowledge, and you please ask the questions of him.

13:53And very interestingly that Vidura starting asking his questions, he's not asking, please tell me what Lord Krishna told, what you have heard when Lord Krishna was living from this world.

14:09He's asking a very general question. And the answer why he is asking the general question is that he feels totally unworthy himself. He feels, who am I, to ask what is the secret knowledge which the Lord imparted to you.

14:32He just says that or he feels you know I'm I'm not really worthy. If he wants, he will tell me this secret. But it's not that I will just demand, just give me this secret.

Cultivating submissive attitude to receive knowledge

14:48We all should be eager to receive knowledge. But to be able to receive knowledge, we have to have a proper attitude, otherwise, the knowledge will not flow into our heart.

15:07It's a very specific way how one can get the knowledge because knowledge is something which is very precious. It's not information.

15:22Unfortunately, for the people in the age of Kali, they somehow rather they mix these two things, knowledge and information. Information is some sort of knowledge, but knowledge is much deeper.

15:37Knowledge implies certain realization of this knowledge within the heart. Knowledge, according to the Vedic scriptures, is a revelation.

15:52And when we are hearing the knowledge, some process of revealing this knowledge within the heart should take place. It's not just information, not just data.

16:05Unfortunately, people nowadays think that you know the only guru is the Google Guru. Google Guru is the Mahamaha Guru. You don't need to have any other guru because all the information you can download.

16:21But the very process of downloading is also it's interesting. Download means it should come from above.

16:30So real knowledge comes from above and real knowledge implies certain experience which you get while you are entering into this relationship of Guru and Disciple. And for that, the feeling of unworthiness is very important. Actually, you only become the fit candidate to receive knowledge

17:03when you become desperate. Lord Krishna shows it in the opening scene of Bhagavad-gītā. In Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna is in the same stage of dejection and he's feeling that he's completely unworthy.

17:23And in this stage when you uh really surrender, then only you become the candidate to receive the knowledge.

17:33If you're just sitting there, just you know, in a cosy chair and scratching the head and thinking, you know, okay, let me tell something new, what I haven't heard before.

17:46You're not really the candidate to receive the knowledge. Śrīla Prabhupāda uses a very beautiful phrase in the first canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhagavatam. He says there is an art, the art of submissive hearing.

18:05It's a very beautiful phrase because hearings we never heard about the art of hearing. Art of speaking, yes. Nobody gives the course. It will not be a very popular course. The art of submissive hearing.

18:26But Prabhupāda said it's the state of art, it's a very sophisticated process. How to hear in a submissive mood so that the knowledge would be really downloaded into you. The knowledge would remain with you.

18:44And this knowledge actually should purify you from within. The knowledge will remain theoretical if it will not purify the heart. Again, it's not about the data. I heard a very beautiful story.

19:04Sometimes people they listen to some lecture and you ask them five minutes later, especially if it's after the breakfast, what was the lecture? Very nice lecture. What was it about? I don't remember, but very nice.

19:18So but it may not be so bad because actually the result of the hearing is the purification of the heart. You may not remember all the minutest details what have been said. But still some purification should take place.

19:38There was a beautiful story. Once a young monk in a monastery was helping in the kitchen and he was washing some salad by water.

19:54And the old monk who was like any senior devotee, he was a little irritated and little I mean anyway he wanted to show this young uh boy uh his place, and he wanted to show him that he's the fool basically.

20:17So he came to him and said, You're doing service. He said, Yes, I'm doing service. So, have you heard the lecture this morning, the sermon this morning? He said, yes, yes, I heard. It was a very nice sermon.

20:30What was it about? He said, I don't remember. And this actually this answer was expected by the elderly senior monk, and he started chastising him. He said, What is the use? You were sitting there and you were using.

20:47What is the use if you don't remember anything? And the young monk he humbly folded his hands and he said, My dear sir, look, I'm washing this salad and the water which I use to wash the salad doesn't remain in the salad.

21:09Still, it makes its job, it washes the dirt. So, in the same way. I may not remember what I heard, but the job has been done. The heart was purified. So it doesn't matter whether I remember it or not.

21:30The main thing is the purification of the heart, because this is what is supposed to take place by the hearing. But the purification of the heart only takes place if the hearing is being done in a proper mood.

21:47If you are properly hearing the transcendental knowledge, then this transcendental knowledge will act from within and help you to get purified and to get the realization.

Why material efforts fail to bring happiness

22:03And therefore, Vidura, in his humility. He asks, as I said, a very general question. He doesn't say, please impart to me the secret knowledge which you received from the Lord.

22:19He asked the general question for the benefit for the benefit of everyone who would hear this from before.

22:27He asked the general question: Sukhaya Karmani Karoti Loko Natai sukkam van yat uparamam va vindetebuyas tata evadukam yada atra yuctam bagavan vaden nah.

22:46He says that he says we can see and we can watch when we look around.

22:57If we are careful enough, if we are attentive enough, we can watch and see that everyone in this world. Everyone, Sukaia Karmani, Karoti Loke, everyone Loke in this world, Sukhaya Karmani is working very hard for the happiness.

23:22Sukhaya Karmani Karoti Lokya. In this world, everyone is doing the same thing. They are trying very hard by different means to obtain happiness. That's true.

23:38Everyone has different conceptions of happiness, but everyone is trying to get happiness. But what happened at the result? Paramamba.

23:51Neither do they get sukkham happiness and that would not be so bad if they would at least get some cessation or relief from the unhappiness.

24:08But no, they not sukkham wa anyatu paramamva, they don't get sukkham, they don't get the cessation or relief from unhappiness. Instead, Vindate buyastate evo do come, instead, they become miserable.

24:29He said, What is this strange phenomena?

24:33Sometimes people they become really perplexed and bewildered because this world from the surface seems to be such a nice place. Especially if you go somewhere in Thailand or Bali or somewhere far away from your home.

24:55Usually the home doesn't look so nice. If you live in Bali, you probably will come for happiness to America.

25:05If you live in America, you go to body, the further away it is, the more chances it is that you will get happiness, according to people's understanding or imagination. And people become perplexed.

25:20From the surface, this world seems to be a very nice place for my happiness. But somehow or other I don't get happiness. And you know, I look around, and there is a lot of people who pretend to be happy.

25:33This is actually what people do in the society. Nobody is happy, but everyone is pretending to be happy. You know, they are posing to be happy. They are coming and see how happy I am.

25:48So Vidura is asking this question, and he said, There seems to be, you know, and sometimes people they get bewildered, but they don't understand that nobody is happy here by design.

26:08The world was originally designed by the Supreme Lord that nobody would become happy. It's a very hard truth to understand and to swallow, but it's by design because nobody is happy.

26:26If uh if it was not by design that at least somebody should have become happy. But in reality nobody is happy. Those who are pretending to be happy—they're not there.

26:42And Vidura is asking this question: can you explain to me why this strange phenomenon is and how to get happiness?

26:53Usually, people when they still have the hope to get happiness, it's very difficult for them to swallow this. Especially when they are young.

27:06Young people, they usually think, you know, everyone is not happy, but I will become happy. There should be at least one exception from the rule. And of course, this exception should be me, not anyone else.

27:23So Vidura is asking this general question, but he's hoping that by asking this general question, he will invoke the mercy in the heart of Maitreya so that he would reveal the secret knowledge because ultimately it's only by the secret knowledge about the Lord one can get the answer to this question.

27:51This beautiful question: why nobody is happy, why and despite everyone is trying hard. You know, okay, let's not look to anyone else. Please answer very honestly to this question. Did you try hard to become happy? Yes.

28:11Did you become happy? No. No.

Overcoming ignorance through spiritual knowledge

28:14Congratulations. You're fit to hear the answer. And in Upanishad, in Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, there is a beautiful verse.

28:25It's towards the end of Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad where the sage Śvetāśvatara said that if you want to be happy in this world, you can be happy in this world. And there are two ways to be happy in this world.

28:44One way to be happy in this world is without the knowledge of God. And you can be happy without the knowledge of God. But for that, you have to fulfill one condition. Do you want to know the secret?

29:02How to become happy without the knowledge of the Lord?

29:06Śvetāśvatara Muni says: if you will be able to cover the whole sky by skin, by the— How you call this? Not your skin, but the, yeah, by leather. If you will be able to cover the whole sky by leather and you will become happy without the knowledge of the Lord. You can try it.

29:34Basically, the meaning is: this is a joke. You cannot cover the sky with the leather. So the only way to get happiness in this world, the way is there. But for that, you have to have the knowledge of the Lord.

29:56So, and that's exactly what Vidura says.

29:59Vidura initially, he asked this question: why is this strange phenomenon that nobody, you know, everyone tries hard. Everyone really tries hard and hard and hard and hard and has some bombastic plans to become happy in the future but nobody becomes and not even you know it would not be so bad if nobody would become happy but nobody even cease to become miserable.

30:30And therefore, in this verse, he basically gives the answer to his own question. the answer to his own question. In the second verse, he asked this question to Maitreya, but in this verse he gives the answer.

30:48In this verse he says, tat sadu varya diša, or best of the sādhu, sādhu-varyādiša vartma śam naḥ. Please explain to me vartma. Vartma means the path. What is the way? What is the path?

31:07But from the very beginning he says that this path should be śam. śam means easy. Please explain to me the easy path. The happy path.

31:22Because sometimes especially when it comes to spiritual practices, when people get frustrated from their attempts to become happy in this world, they come to some spiritual discipline, and usually the spiritual discipline means that you have to perform some severe austerities, you have to fast, you know, 40 days in a desert, and only then you will get some spiritual realization.

31:53Vidura says, no, no, please don't tell me about you know 40 days fasting way. Don't tell me about some, you know, being in a cave in Himalayas, living with the spiders and the snakes in Himalayan caves and you know meditating all day long.

32:14Tell me some easy path. And he says, tell me some easy path, samrādhito bhagavān puṁsāṁ, by which bhagavān puṁsāṁ becomes samrādhitaḥ. Samrādhitaḥ. It's a very beautiful word in Sanskrit,

32:39samradita means samyaksam radita worshipped. Please tell me the easy path by which Lord can be worshipped or served and through this past, Hṛdīsthito, the Bhagavān is already in your heart.

33:02We all know this theory that the Lord is in everyone's heart. So Vidura is saying: the Lord is already there, the Bhagavān, the personality of Godhead, He is the person.

33:16Please tell me this easy path by which he can be pleased or worshipped, because ultimately the worship or the service to the Lord is a very natural thing. By nature, every one of us is a servant. People they like to serve.

33:39Of course, we have this ego concept which deprives us from this mood of service. But ultimately, you know, I was just in New York and I was chanting mantra in a park.

Reclaiming natural identity through devotional service

33:54And there are so many people who are so devotedly serving to their dogs.

34:01You know, they have this, they're special, you know, plastic bags to to you know to clean the stool of their dogs. And they're so, you know, so happy by serving their dogs.

34:16And, uh, Prabhupāda said that, uh, actually, no matter what, we always remain servants. We try to pretend to be masters. But actually it's not very, even not even very nice thing to be a master.

34:35It's much more natural to be a servant. Service is natural. To be a master is totally artificial. Everyone who is trying to be a master They ultimately become very frustrated by these attempts.

34:52So he says, Samradita, this root rad means to please. And we know if we manage to please somebody, we become very happy ourselves. If your little son is happy, you become happy, right? By your service.

35:15If your wife is happy, you definitely become happy. If your wife is unhappy, you definitely become unhappy. If your husband is happy, you are happy. By pleasing others, you become happy.

35:33But what to speak uh if the Lord is pleased, the Lord is closest to you. The Lord is there in the, in your heart. And therefore he says, sam-rādito bhagavān ye 'pi puṁsāṁ hṛdī-sthito yāchati bhakti-pūtim.

35:48to yachati bhakti putin. He said that by this process of pleasing the Lord, what will happen? The heart will become pure. If we manage to please the Lord, who is situated within our heart,

36:06that the heart becomes pure, and then the knowledge of the Lord will come as an outcome of this process of pleasing the Lord. Jyanam sa katvadi gamam puranam.

36:20This Puranam very old or as Prabhupada explains the very ancient, the original knowledge of the spiritual nature, spiritual truths, tattva, will come to your heart and by this knowledge you will become happy.

36:45Actually, that's the very fundamental principle of vedic culture. The fundamental principle of vedic culture is that the source of all our unhappiness is ignorance. Why we are not happy?

37:01Because of only one problem, because we are ignorant. And because we are ignorant, we are trying to be become happy in the wrong way.

37:11We commit the mistake in the first place, and no matter what we do after that, will not bring us to the desired result.

37:20And therefore, he says in the first verse he is asking, in the first question, he is asking how to become happy. In this verse, he is answering how to become happy. To become happy, you have to get knowledge.

37:34How you can get knowledge? You can only get knowledge from the Lord. How you can get the knowledge of the Lord when your heart is purified. And then you feel the Lord is there.

37:45And then naturally you get the knowledge about this tattva and when you get the knowledge you become happy.

37:52Only those people who get this spiritual knowledge about tattva and Prabhupada explains that everyone who are on the path of spiritual salvation, they're trying to get the knowledge of Tattva.

38:08And from the very beginning, it is said in Shrimad Bhagavatam Vadanti Tat Tatva Vidas Tattvamyajgyana Actually, it's also very beautifully explained that this knowledge of tattva, the tattva is advaagyan.

38:26Tattva or the truth is Advayagyan. Tattva means the reality, and unless you get the knowledge of reality, you will not be happy. But this knowledge of reality is non-dual. It's non-dual consciousness.

38:45And when you get the knowledge of non-dual consciousness, your consciousness will also become non-dual. And this non-dual Advaya consciousness is the happy state of consciousness.

38:57Our problem is that our consciousness is dual. Happiness and distress, heat and cold, you know, male, female, all these dualities in which we in between of which we are trying to get happiness are not really working.

39:15The only thing which is the way to become happy is to obtain this non-dual consciousness, which comes when you understand the non-dual reality. Non-dual reality on non-dual truths means the Lord and the Lord's abode.

39:37It's very difficult for us to understand because our consciousness is dual. I read a beautiful book about one near-death experience. This person is a neurosurgeon.

39:54He's actually a neuroscience scientist, the scholar, the scientist of neuroscience himself. And he had a near-death experience. He was in coma for many days.

40:12And he himself says that probably I was given this experience because I never believed in this near-death stuff.

40:22He said that, you know, I always, I was a total atheist and I didn't believe in all this stuff because I thought it's just the dying brain is creating some sort of imagination to the dying person just to give him some solace.

40:41It's just an evolutionary mechanism in the brain when you are dying to give you some little solace and to relieve your pain, then some sort of fantasies are being produced by this dying brain. He said it was my concept.

40:58He said, I can testify in my condition, my brain was dead. He had a very severe case of meningitis, and his brain, his neocortex was completely dead. And he said, I'm saying with the full authority, my brain was dead.

41:17Still, I had this beautiful experience. This experience is much more beautiful than I ever had anything in my life. And he said, I saw the reality, but I cannot explain to you this reality. I cannot describe this reality.

41:33Because when I describe it, I only use the language which is useful to describe this dual reality. And the reality which I experienced there was non-dual.

41:46He said it was very beautiful, there was a lot of varieties there. And God was there, this reality was there, but I cannot explain this. It was too beautiful and I don't have the words to describe it.

42:04If you want to see it, just die and you will see it. No, no problem. But only if you die in a proper state of consciousness.

Purifying the heart through submissive hearing

42:16But ultimately, this is exactly what Vidura is asking from Maitreya.

42:23He's saying that, you know, if you please the Lord, Samradita, if you achieve this stage of pleasing the Lord, then Bhagavān who is situated in your heart, he will reveal this knowledge to you.

42:38And when this knowledge is revealed to you, then the answer to the first question is given, then you become free. And he says, please give us this easy path to this process.

42:53And ultimately, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in the purport that the easy path to this process is just to hear about this non-dual reality.

43:05It's amazing, but even though the words of this world, as I said, are not suitable to describe non-dual reality, because they're suitable to describe the dualities of this world.

43:23Still, the same words, of course in Sanskrit, but even if it's not in Sanskrit, it is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam itself.

43:37If you hear these words which are seemingly material, these sounds which are seemingly material, the sentences which are seemingly the same, which we are used to here, if we hear this again and again and again, if

43:59if we hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, this philosophy of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is explaining inexplicable truths about non-dual reality, which is explaining this acintya-tattva totally inconceivable truth about the spiritual world, you will get the understanding.

44:22The very process, the foundational process of bhakti is this hearing, but again, as I said, hearing in a special mood. In a mood which is conducive for the revelation.

44:37Ultimately, it's not hearing, it's not the information which you get from hearing, but the revelation.

44:44The truth which is behind these words, these words of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is capable of revealing Himself through these words, even though the words are material, even though the sounds are material.

45:02The truth, God Himself is capable of revealing this knowledge to you through this process of hearing. And this process of hearing is the easy way to please the Lord.

45:17It's the easiest way to please the Lord is to hear about Him. And it's a natural psychology, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains in the first canto of Śrīmad- Bhāgavatam, that everyone is happy to hear about himself.

45:35When we hear about the Lord, we may or may not be happy. But when somebody is talking about us, then the art of submissive hearing becomes revealed to us because we're really eager to hear about us.

45:55You know, if we hear our name, we become really attentive. You know, what are they talking about? Me. So basically, that's the foundational process of bhakti is to hear about the Lord.

46:12And when we hear about the Lord, the Lord becomes pleased because the Lord is there within our heart. He knows what we're hearing. He knows we're hearing about Him. And He's very surprised because usually people are happy

46:28and pleased to hear about somebody else, about some, you know, Donald Trump or Vladimir Putin and when a rare soul is hearing about the Lord, the Lord is really, really pleased. And that's the saṁvarta... vartma.

46:51Saṁvarta-vartma means the easy path. The easy pass you just hear about the Lord. And the Lord cleanses from within your heart, your heart. We do not use: hṛdi hy antaḥ-sthyo śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇa puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanāḥ.

47:09This Kṛṣṇa-kathā, this hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, is puṇya in itself. It's beneficial, or it gives you some puṇya—what puṇya means, the piety. It gives you some piety in itself. Why?

47:26Because the Lord, we do not use: hṛdi hy antaḥ-sthyo. He's within your heart and He's cleaning your heart while you're hearing. And even if you don't remember anything, no problem. Just forget everything, just hear.

47:41No problem. Not so important. And that's exactly what he says because again the foundational problem of us is ignorance. The solution to this problem is knowledge. But knowledge can only be revealed.

47:58The real knowledge can be revealed. The real knowledge cannot be downloaded from the internet. The real knowledge can be revealed from within the heart.

48:07If the Lord is pleased from you, by you, then He's ready to give the revelation. Otherwise, you can also try to cover the whole sky by leather, no problem, you're free to do it, so basically

Audience questions on hearing and spiritual growth

48:27that's it. This, this is what I would say, Hare Krishna. Maybe there is a question, yeah? Hearing. Hearing... it's an easy path to learn the knowledge, is hearing.

48:48Yes, but what if my wife speaks and I don't want to hear? “But my wife speaks, I don't want to hear.” Because probably your wife doesn't speak about Krishna. If she would speak about Krishna probably you would, you know how beautiful he is and how he is loving and you know she probably speaks about something else, right?

49:13She says that you hear only something about what I'm saying. Okay. So, your question is how to solve this problem that your wife wants you to hear when she speaks and you want to hear about Krishna. That is the question.

49:39I would like to hear that again. But you have to hear your wife. How do you train your ears to hear Krishna? Uh it's very simple. If you train your wife to speak about Krishna, then you will always hear about Krishna.

50:01So please explain to your wife how important it is to speak about Krishna. And then she will speak about Krishna and then you will naturally hear only about Krishna.

50:20My question is, uh ignore this for one reason, or it would be, uh, big responsibility is the reason. Say it again, please? Ignorance. Ignorance, yes. Uh, if it doesn't take as long as it's one more reason.

50:54So the question is, uh, why am I ignorant? Because I am not taking the responsibility for my own actions. That's the question. It's a very difficult question about the cause of Avidya.

51:17In Sanskrit in Vedic literature it is specifically said that this is anadi avidya. This is beginningless avidya, avidya which doesn't have beginning, which basically means it's another way to say that it's causal.

51:43We definitely have to take responsibility for our own actions because our avidya or ignorance can be greatly increased by our own ignorant actions. There is no doubt about it.

52:04So, in one sense, yes, we are ignorant, we are responsible for our ignorance for our avidya.

52:12But at the same time, if it was only our responsibility, then only by our own endeavors we would be able to get rid of the ignorance. And that's the path of yoga.

52:30In the path of yoga, people they are trying to get rid of avidya of ignorance only by their own endeavors, by this path of eight stages, Ashtanga Yoga, yama, niyama, āsana, prāṇāyāma, dhāraṇā, Dhyana and Samadhi.

52:52And some of them are maybe successful, but not even to the fullest extent. But according to bhakti, actually without bhakti or without the mercy, you cannot really get rid of the ignorance.

53:12So according to our philosophy, it's not only by your endeavors you can get rid of ignorance, it's by the Lord's mercy.

53:21And it basically means that it's not only you who is responsible for your own ignorance, but you know it's an idea. So ultimately you need Lord's mercy.

53:36It's good to take responsibility for your ignorance and it's good to do whatever is in your power to get rid of ignorance.

53:45But at the same time, we have to understand that to completely get rid of ignorance we need the mercy. Not only by our endeavors we will be able to get rid of it.

54:07Um, trying to understand how that process of, uh, heart purification works when hearing. Uh so it's a two-part question.

54:16So how much, uh, how important it's—we're just trying to understand how it's important on the hearer's or recipient's side to be, to do all the endeavor to cleanse the heart, to hear submissively. But how, uh, what importance is there on the speaker's side to have certain qualities when for that process of cleaning to happen?

54:44That's the first question. And second part is if that speaker's part also plays a role,

54:50then uh is there a difference when we hear let's say the class in person or on audio recording and video, or is it just information in that case?

55:09Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that the speaker should be bona fide and the hearer should be bona fide. And basically, the ideal situation is that the speaker has his consciousness on the stage of this non-dual consciousness.

55:28And while speaking, he is expressing this non-dual consciousness which is there in his possession, so to speak.

55:38And while hearing this non-dual philosophy which is produced from non-dual consciousness of the speaker, the hearer, may get the same sort of experience, or at least the shadow of the same sort of experience.

55:58So that's the ideal case. If this ideal case is taking place, then the purification will become very quick. Janayati āśu vairāgyam. Āśu means very quickly.

56:14By this process, the purification will take place. But even if the speaker is not really on the highest possible stage of spiritual realization, and still he is trying to speak about this non-dual reality.

56:35And the hearer is really trying hard to submissively hear the words, then still some purification will definitely take place.

56:50Basically, by the mercy of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam itself, therefore it is said, Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. If you constantly hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam means every day, then Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu, almost everything which is disturbing within the heart will become cleansed.

57:13Why? Because of the mercy of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

57:18Ultimately, this non-dual reality is revealing itself through the words of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and our sincere attempts to repeat what is there in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and to hear will purify the heart.

57:38As far as the second question is concerned, what is the difference between the recording and face-to-face hearing, then definitely recording has some utility,

57:55but ultimately when we hear face to face, it's easier to be submissive. The art of this submissive hearing is easier because when it's recording, you know, while I'm speaking, you all have to sit.

58:20Whereas if it was recorder, you probably would do so many other things while hearing the same lecture.

58:32Therefore the process: the authoritative process, the ancient process is to have this transmission face to face and it's definitely much more effective than you just hear from the recording because again when you're hearing the recording it's mostly the information which you get.

58:58While when you're hearing by sitting face to face, you are much more clear about the mood which is being transmitted, so to speak. And the mood is more important than the information.

59:16Even in normal communications between the people they say that information plays only 20% role, and the 70% is the emotional exchange of the exchange of the mood.

59:32Therefore, it's more important to sit even if you're only getting some boring mood from the speaker. Still something is there. Some some sort of saving grace is there in this transmission. Okay, yeah, actually it's time.

1:00:02We have to finish. Thank you very much.