Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.22.25
Mukti· LiberationHearing Deepens Devotion and Detachment
“The devotee should gradually increase the culture of devotional service by constant hearing of the transcendental qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. These pastimes are like ornamental decorations on the ears of devotees. By rendering devotional service and transcending the material qualities, one can easily be fixed in transcendence in the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
What the purport teaches
- Hearing Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from realized souls increases our inclination toward devotional service. The Lord’s pastimes are like ornaments for the devotees’ ears.
- As devotional life advances, attachment to the material world decreases and attachment to the Supreme Personality of Godhead increases. Progress requires losing interest in sense enjoyment and association centered on money and sense gratification.
- Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Because this verse speaks of devotion and transcendental qualities, its reference to Brahman means the Supreme Lord, not the impersonal Brahman.
Try this today
Set aside five minutes today to hear Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam explained by a realized soul.
Ask yourself
What kind of hearing am I making room for, and how does it influence my desire to serve Kṛṣṇa?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.