Hare Krsna,
It’s good to be back with our regular study of Srimad Bhagavatam in the association of like-minded devotees.
For this forum post, I would like to focus on the 1st and 2nd verse which talks mainly about the benefits of hearing topics about Krsna.
SB 10.7.1-2: King Parīkṣit said: My lord, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, all the various activities exhibited by the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are certainly pleasing to the ear and to the mind. Simply by one’s hearing of these activities, the dirty things in one’s mind immediately vanish. Generally we are reluctant to hear about the activities of the Lord, but Kṛṣṇa’s childhood activities are so attractive that they are automatically pleasing to the mind and ear. Thus one’s attachment for hearing about material things, which is the root cause of material existence, vanishes, and one gradually develops devotional service to the Supreme Lord, attachment for Him, and friendship with devotees who give us the contribution of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. If you think it fit, kindly speak about those activities of the Lord.
Srila Prabhupada, in his purport to these verses, succinctly captures the essence of Krsna consciousness movement. He says that the root cause of all our suffering is due to our various material desires. However, this root cause of suffering can be removed by revival of our original Krsna consciousness. This revival fundamentally begins with hearing and chanting about Krsna. Therefore, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other Vedic literatures exist simply to give us a chance to hear about Kṛṣṇa.
Unfortunately, we have no attraction for hearing about Krsna, and this is the root cause of our suffering. The first two verses of this chapter highlight five main benefits of hearing Krsna-katha. It says that by repeatedly hearing Krsna-katha, two things disappear and three things appear.
The two things that DISAPPEAR are (1) our distaste for hearing and chanting, and (2) our ending material desires. Hari indicates the Lord who takes away all our suffering and faults. Isvara indicates the Lord who attracts our internal and external senses. The mind has no inclination to hearing about Krsna, and even if it has, there are various other desires. But hearing about Krsna vanquishes both disinclination and material desires.
The three things that APPEAR from hearing hari-katha are:
- Sattvam (Purity): The heart becomes purified by hearing about Krsna. Lust, anger, greed, pride, envy, illusion and madness disappear from the heart. Instead qualities such as sense of selflessness, tolerance, compassion and humility start to arise. All that we talk about, hear about, desire and aspire about gradually arise in the heart. When the heart becomes pure because of destruction of impure desires, it becomes capable of comprehending rasa. This purification happens quickly by hearing all the pastimes of Krsna, but more slowly in the case of hearing the pastimes of the avataras.
- Bhakti: By hearing about Krsna, actual devotion unto Krsna arises in our heart.
- Friendship with devotees develops. By hearing, bhakti or prema to the Lord, who attracts the devotees, appears and friendship with devotees also develops.
“The pastimes of Kṛṣṇa can be properly received from devotees. If one has developed a little bit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness by hearing from Vaiṣṇavas about the activities of Kṛṣṇa, one becomes attached to Vaiṣṇavas who are interested only in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” (SB 10.7.1-2 Purport)
Therefore Pariksit Maharaja, in these two verses, welcomes the narrations of the unlimited pastimes of Krsna. With great eagerness, he requests Sukadeva Goswami to continue with more stories about Krsna.
SB 10.7.3: Please describe other pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality, who appeared on this planet earth, imitating a human child and performing wonderful activities like killing Pūtanā.
SB 3.25.25: In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart. By cultivating such knowledge one gradually becomes advanced on the path of liberation, and thereafter he is freed, and his attraction becomes fixed. Then real devotion and devotional service begin.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
(Reference cited: Brhad Vaisanava Tosani by Srila Sanatana Goswami)
Krsna Katha 