{"id":12513,"date":"2014-04-13T05:46:13","date_gmt":"2014-04-13T05:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=12513"},"modified":"2014-04-13T05:46:13","modified_gmt":"2014-04-13T05:46:13","slug":"the-qualification-to-hear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/?p=12513","title":{"rendered":"The Qualification to Hear"},"content":{"rendered":"


\nHH Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja speaking to a group of disciples in Bhubaneswar 1994<\/em><\/p>\n

By Madhavananda Das <\/strong><\/p>\n

From Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu magazine issue 323<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam<\/em> 2.8.4 describes the importance of hearing:<\/p>\n

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\u015b\u1e5b\u1e47vata\u1e25 \u015braddhay\u0101 nitya\u1e41 g\u1e5b\u1e47ata\u015b ca sva-ce\u1e63\u1e6ditam<\/em><\/p>\n

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k\u0101lena n\u0101tid\u012brghe\u1e47a bhagav\u0101n vi\u015bate h\u1e5bdi<\/em><\/p>\n

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Persons who hear \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam<\/em> regularly and are always taking the matter very seriously will have the Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna manifested in their hearts within a short time.<\/p>\n

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One may ask, however, \u201cWhy is it that some people easily understand after hearing something while others don\u2019t?\u201d What is the qualification to hear? If one contemplates on the matter, one will understand that gaining divine knowledge through hearing is not a cheap, easy thing. In his Prema-bhakti-candrik\u0101 <\/em>(2.8), Srila Narottam Das Thakur writes, \u015bunile n\u0101 \u015buna k\u0101na<\/em> \u2014 hearing, but the sound doesn\u2019t enter the ear.<\/p>\n

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In this age of instant communication, we expect immediate answers to our questions. From nearly anywhere in the world we can google from our cell phones and in seconds find out whatever facts we are interested in. Moreover, there are hundreds of translations of vai\u1e63\u1e47ava<\/em> literatures available today, including descriptions of intimate and esoteric pastimes of Krishna and the gop\u012bs<\/em>. The temptation is there to dive into such literatures, thinking, \u201cSimply by reading these books I can gain some entrance into the l\u012bl\u0101s<\/em> and\/or become famous as a learned preacher.\u201d However, there is a difference between information and realized knowledge. Knowledge without realization simply brings pride.<\/p>\n

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After the disappearance of Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, his dear son, Srila Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada, saw that some persons were trying to gain spiritual understanding by empiric reading of the writings of his father. To correct their misunderstanding he compiled an article entitled, \u201cThakur Bhaktivinode\u201d which was published in the December 1931 issue of the Harmonist<\/em> magazine. The following is a short excerpt:<\/p>\n

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There have, however, already arisen serious misunderstandings regarding the proper interpretation of the life and teachings of Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode. Those who suppose they understand the meaning of his message without securing the guiding grace of the \u0101c\u0101rya<\/em> are disposed to unduly favor the methods of empiric study of his writings.<\/p>\n

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\u2026 It is not empiric wisdom that is the object of quest of the devotee. Those who read the scriptures for gathering empiric wisdom will be pursuing the wild goose chase. There are not a few dupes of their empiric scriptural erudition. These dupes have their admiring under-dupes. But the mutual admiration society of dupes does not escape, by the mere weight of their number, the misfortunes due to the deliberate pursuit of the wrong course in accordance with the suggestions of our lower selves.<\/p>\n

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In the Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101<\/em>, 4.34, Krishna explains to Arjuna what is \u015brava\u1e47a-adhik\u0101ra<\/em>, the qualification to hear:<\/p>\n

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tad viddhi pra\u1e47ip\u0101tena paripra\u015bnena sevay\u0101<\/em><\/p>\n

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upadek\u1e63yanti te j\u00f1\u0101na\u1e41 j\u00f1\u0101ninas tattva-dar\u015bina\u1e25<\/em><\/p>\n

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Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.<\/p>\n

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Srila Ramanujacharya comments on this verse: pra\u1e47ip\u0101ta-paripra\u015bna-sev\u0101dibhir vi\u015bad\u0101k\u0101ra\u1e41 j\u00f1\u0101nibhyo viddhi <\/em>\u2014 \u201cYou will learn this divine knowledge from wise men by pra\u1e47ip\u0101ta<\/em>, offering obeisances to them; paripra\u015bna<\/em>, submissively inquiring from them; and by sev\u0101<\/em>, serving them.\u201d These three items are required for one to have \u015brava\u1e47a \u0101dhikara<\/em>, the qualification to hear and deeply understand.<\/p>\n

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In his S\u0101r\u0101rtha-var\u1e63i\u1e47\u012b \u1e6d\u012bk\u0101<\/em> on the same G\u012bt\u0101<\/em> verse, Srila Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur offers a similar explanation: <\/em><\/p>\n

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taj-j\u00f1\u0101na-pr\u0101ptaye prak\u0101ram \u0101ha tad iti. pra\u1e47ip\u0101tena j\u00f1\u0101nopade\u1e63\u1e6dari gurau da\u1e47\u1e0davan-namask\u0101re\u1e47a. bhagavan! kuto \u2019ya\u1e41 me sa\u1e41s\u0101ra\u1e25? katha\u1e41 nivarti\u1e63yate? iti paripra\u015bnena ca. sevay\u0101 tat-paricaryay\u0101 ca<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cThis verse speaks of the method for attaining divine knowledge. It is gained by offering respects, bowing down to the guru, and by asking questions such as, \u2018O master! Why am I in this world of misery? How will I be relieved from this world of birth and death?\u2019 That knowledge is attained by service to the guru.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Knowledge of the spirit soul and the Lord is not the same as ordinary mundane knowledge we acquire in the university. At the university we master a book, but in spiritual life we must serve the book \u2014 the Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101 <\/em>and \u015ar\u012bmad Bh\u0101gavatam<\/em> are direct manifestations of the Lord. In Caitanya-bh\u0101gavata<\/em> (antya<\/em> 3.532) Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur has written, dui sth\u0101ne bh\u0101gavata-n\u0101ma \u015buni-m\u0101tra<\/em> \u2014 there are two bh\u0101gavatas<\/em>, the book Bh\u0101gavata<\/em> and the bhakta<\/em>, devotee bh\u0101gavata. We serve the book Bh\u0101gavata<\/em> by hearing from the bhakta-bh\u0101gavata<\/em>. Krishna tells Arjuna in the \u0100di Pur\u0101\u1e47a<\/em> (quoted in Cc. madhya<\/em> 11.28):<\/p>\n

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ye me bhakta-jan\u0101\u1e25  p\u0101rtha na me bhakt\u0101\u015b ca te jan\u0101\u1e25<\/em><\/p>\n

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mad-bhakt\u0101n\u0101\u1e41 ca ye bhakt\u0101s te me bhakta-tam\u0101 mat\u0101\u1e25<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cThose who are my direct devotees are actually not my devotees, but those who are devotees of my servant are factually my devotees.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Kuresh, the famous, intimate disciple of Srila Ramanujacharya once asked his guru the meaning of the well-known Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101 <\/em>verse 18.66:<\/p>\n

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sarva-dharm\u0101n parityajya m\u0101m eka\u1e41 \u015bara\u1e47a\u1e41 vraja<\/em><\/p>\n

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aha\u1e41 tv\u0101 sarva-p\u0101pebhyo mok\u1e63ayi\u1e63y\u0101mi m\u0101 \u015buca\u1e25<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u201cAbandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto me. I will deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ramanuja replied to him, \u201cA person who gives up all independent desires and serves his guru absolutely for an entire year can fully understand the meaning of this verse, and no one else.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u201cBut life is so uncertain,\u201d said Kuresh, \u201cHow can I know whether or not I will live for another year? Please bestow your mercy upon me by making the meaning of the verse manifest in my heart even now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ramanuja considered his request for a while and then replied, \u201cIf you live for one month by begging alms from door to door, without knowing where your next meal will come from, then you will begin to realize the meaning of full surrender. At that time, I will instruct you in all the meanings of this glorious verse.\u201d<\/p>\n

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For one month Kuresh lived as his guru had instructed. When the month had passed, he gained realized knowledge from Ramanuja about the nature of surrender to Krishna.<\/p>\n

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We should understand the difference between information collection and gaining realized knowledge. The latter only comes through offering respect, submissive inquiries, and rendering service to a devotee and not by mere reading. Srila Prabhupada once described:<\/p>\n

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Just like some rascals say, \u201cWhat is the use of accepting a guru?\u201d Of course, they have got very bad experience. \u2026It is not that, \u201cIf I like I can go to a guru, and if I don\u2019t like I can study books at home and learn everything.\u201d No, that is not possible. It is practical. Just like if you purchase a medical book, study at home, and then begin to practice, you will be called a quack. The government will not recognize you. \u2026Similarly, someone may say, \u201cI have read Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101<\/em> a hundred times.\u201d But if you ask him what is Krishna he cannot say because he has not approached the \u0101c\u0101rya<\/em>. This is the difficulty. He might have read Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101<\/em> a thousand times but he will not understand a single word because he has not approached. (From a lecture in Mumbai on 5 October 1973.)<\/p>\n

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The entire issue can be read here: https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/bindu323<\/a><\/p>\n

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Bibliography<\/strong><\/p>\n

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\u2014 Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101 As It Is<\/em>. English translation and commentary by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Bombay. 1995.<\/p>\n

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\u2014 Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101<\/em>. R\u0101m\u0101nuja-bh\u0101\u1e63y\u0101, and S\u0101r\u0101rtha-var\u015b\u012bn<\/em>i. Sanskrit transliterations from Gaudiya Grantha Mandir: http:\/\/www.granthamandira.com.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u2014 Naimisaranya Das. The Life of Ramanujacarya<\/em>. Veda. 1989.<\/p>\n

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\u2014 Krishnadas Kaviraj Goswami. \u015ar\u012b Caitanya-carit\u0101m\u1e5bta<\/em>. English translation and commentary by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Los Angeles. 1975.<\/p>\n

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\u2014 Narottam Das Thakur. Pr\u0101rthan\u0101 O Prema-bhakti-candrik\u0101<\/em>. Sri Nitai Gopalchand editor and publisher. Vrindavan. 1994. Bengali<\/p>\n

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\u2014 \u015ar\u012bmad Bhagavad-g\u012bt\u0101<\/em>. With the S\u0101r\u0101rtha-var\u015b\u012bni commentary of Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur. English translation by Bhanu Swami. Parampara Publishers. Chennai, India. 2003.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Madhavananda Das <\/strong><\/p>\n

In this age of instant communication, we expect immediate answers to our questions. From nearly anywhere in the world we can google from our cell phones and in seconds find out whatever facts we are interested in. Moreover, there are hundreds of translations of vai\u1e63\u1e47ava literatures available today, including descriptions of intimate and esoteric pastimes of Krishna and the gop\u012bs. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12513\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}