śrī śrī guru gaurāṅga jayataḥ!

Rays of The Harmonist On-Line Edition

Year 12, Issue 3
Posted: 24 April 2019


Dedicated to
nitya-līlā praviṣṭa oṁ viṣṇupāda

Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja


Inspired by and under the guidance of

Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja


Ears and a Voice

by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda

prabhupad

If we are fortunate enough to receive the Sound that is beyond the human scope, we should listen to it. Godhead sends down His messengers, as symbols, to give us, if we are at all really sanguine, ideas of the Absolute. It is only then that we will be able to make any progress. 

This fortune is denied to all those who love transformable things. 
 
Persons who desire a view of the whole, at a glance, should seek access through transcendental sound alone, not through the senses. The distinctive feature of that Sound is that it carries all sorts of information and potencies that will give us facilities to welcome the Sound. Those who neglect to attend to that Sound are unmindful of the fountainhead [of all existence]. They engage in intellectual activities in this material space, that cannot accommodate spirit. They are apt to attempt to carry gross, material things into spirit, as if to enrich that region, but lanterns are not necessary for seeing the sun.

Lanterns are useful for seeing something in the dark. It will only encumber and obstruct us if we try to carry the knowledge and acquisitions of this world into that region, with the aim of progressing there. We may be very simple in our habits, we may be very poor in our linguistic capacity, but when the transcendental Sound vibration reaches our ears, it will clear up all the dirt that has accumulated there by previously receiving mundane sound. This will surely occur in the company of persons who are wholly engaged in the transcendental process, to the exclusion of all other activity. If we pay some fee to the scoffing atheists, to the professors of empiric wisdom, to the builders of temporal structures, or the like, our partial donations shall not grant us the whole in exchange. We should not think of bartering at all.  Transcendental sound does not require any earthly media for its communication. 
 
We must not neglect the transcendental Sound freely transmitted by the agents of the Absolute. We find that we are interested in many things that are unknown to us. Doctors do not know the remedies of many diseases. We require no monetary value in exchange for transmitting our message. We live a simple life and require little help from others in the way of scientific facilities. Since we possess ears and a voice, we can receive the transcendental Sound and vocalize the same to any intelligent person who may hear us. 
 
What we vocalize will not be accessible to persons who have very little culture and are engrossed in sensuous engagements. But we expect the intelligent section [of humankind] to make preparations  with the aim of progressing towards a region that we are all in essential need of. In this era of materialism, we are no doubt puzzled by these high thoughts. We try to enrich our human intellect, yet we become startled when we are told to look beyond [this realm]. That is silly. 

We want to rouse the true mentality of the civilized world to seek authentic help in making spiritual progress. Secular help cannot appease our inner hunger. Transcendental help can. We intelligent people should receive the transcendental Sound. We are now vitally concerned with this. Everyone is engaged in exploring ways and means to get rid of our present unbearable inadequacies – we should spare a portion of our time to receive those Sounds. 

Adapted from The Gauḍīya, Volume 12, Number 3
by the Rays of The Harmonist Team


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