You can understand Vedic principle even though you are illiterate, provided you hear them, aural reception.

Learn by Hearing, Not by Reading

Excerpts from Lectures Given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on the importance of hearing

So what Shukadeva did? Svanubhavam. He first of all heard from his father, Vyasadeva, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and realized it. Not a professional Bhagavata reciter. Just like in India now there are a class of men, especially in Vrindavana, the gosvamis. They make a business. Therefore there are many, many very artistic Bhagavata reciters, but they could not turn even one man to Krishna consciousness. Because they are not self-realized, svanubhavam. Of course, we have tried our best; so in few years there are so many Krishna conscious persons come out. This is the secret. Unless one is svanubhavam, self-realized, life is bhagavata, he cannot preach Bhagavata. That is not... That will not be effective. A gramophone will not help. Therefore Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's secretary, Svarupa Damodara, recommended, bhagavata pora giya bhagavata-sthane, that "If you want to read Srimad-Bhagavatam, you must approach a person who is life living Bhagavata." Bhagavata pora giya bhagavata-sthane. Otherwise, there is no question of Bhagavata realization.

So Shukadeva Gosvami learned from his father, Vyasadeva, maha-bhagavata, and he realized it, svanubhavam. What is this book? Akhila-shruti-saram ekam. Akhila means "all, universal." There are many scriptures, many religious scriptures, especially the Vedas. Shruti means Veda. Shruti is learned by hearing, not by reading. You can understand Vedic principle even though you are illiterate, provided you hear them, aural reception. God has given you the ear. And if you try to hear submissively, to receive something, then it will be fruitful. Submissive. Shruti-gatam tanu-van-mano..., jnane prayasam. This is the Brahma's realization when he met Krishna. So he said this verse, jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva, namanta eva, san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam. People who are endeavoring to understand the Absolute Truth by dint of his puffed-up knowledge, they will never be able to. They will never be able. Jnane prayasam. One has to give up this illegitimate attempt to understand the Absolute Truth by his personal knowledge. That is not possible. Krishna is not so cheap thing that by exercising your brain you can manufacture a way to understand Krishna. Krishna says, naham prakashah sarvasya yogamaya-samavritah: [Bhagavad-gita 7.25] "I am not exposed to everyone. I am covered by yogamaya. People will not be able to understand Me." "So many jnanis, yogis, karmis, they cannot understand?" No. Then? Krishna says, bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yash chasmi tattvatah: [Bhagavad-gita 18.55] "Only through devotional service." Devotional service means submission, surrender. First of all surrender. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja: [Bhagavad-gita 18.66] "You cannot understand Me by your so-called karma, jnana, or yoga, dhyana. No, it is not possible." Bhaktya mam abhijanati [Bhagavad-gita 18.55]. Bhaktya means to surrender.

So here it is shruti-saram ekam. This Bhagavata is the shruti-saram, just like cream. You churn the milk, two mounds [a measure of milk in India] of milk, you get, say, five kilos, kg, of butter, the saram, essence. If you simply try to see where is the essence... You have to churn it. Then in the milk there is. You may possess lots of milk, but from the milk you have to take the cream. That is intelligence. The Srimad-Bhagavatam is the cream of Vedic knowledge. Therefore it is said that nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam idam [Srimad- Bhagavatam 1.1.3]. Nigama. Nigama means Vedas, and kalpa-taru... Vedas is just like desire tree. Desire tree means whatever you want, you can have it from Vedic knowledge. Just like in India, the Ayur-veda. Ayur-veda means this is material thing. But still it is in the Veda. Dhanur-veda, military science. There are so many Vedas. Vedas means knowledge. So the Vedic knowledge is so perfect, that anything you want, material or spiritual, you will get the knowledge perfect. That is Veda. Veda is not ordinary thing. And it is learned by hearing. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet, shrotriyam brahma-nishtham [Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.12].

Vedic knowledge... Formerly, there was no need of books. Nowadays, at the present moment, our memory is not so sharp due to Kali-yuga. Therefore Vyasadeva wrote in books, in words, because he foresaw that "The people in this age, they will be dull-headed rascals. Therefore, if they get this knowledge recorded in writing, they may be able to derive some benefit." Otherwise, formerly Vedic knowledge was never book reading. No. Shruti. Shruti means hearing. This disciple is so powerful that once he hears from the spiritual master, his memory is recorded immediately. Memory. Therefore brahmachari record. If you remain brahmachari, then your brain will be so nice that as soon as you hear something, it will be memorized. This is the benefit of brahmachari. And if the students are allowed to be sexually, I mean to say, indulgent, then where is the brain? This is very scientific to remain brahmachari, to understand from the guru simply by hearing. Once hearing.

There was a case... Of course... One Englishman chastised another Indian by calling him so many ill names, "damn rascal, fool," like that. So he complained to the court that "This man has insulted me." "So where is the witness?" So the witness... The complainer said, "There was a brahmana who was witness. He was taking bath in the Ganges." So he was summoned. The brahmana was so sharp in memory. He exactly said, just like gramophone record, tape record, whatever he said. He said, "I do not know what is the meaning of this, but these words were said." So people were so sharp in memory. That is brahmana. Once heard from the spiritual master... The spiritual master means shrotriyam: he has also nicely heard from his spiritual master. Therefore Vedic knowledge, factually, it is received simply by hearing. There was no necessity of becoming literate. Illiterate, it doesn't matter. Because it is after all received through the aural reception. Therefore it is called shruti. And shruti-saram ekam. And of all the Vedic literature, Srimad-Bhagavatam is the essence.

TRANSLATION: "The person who has not at any time received the dust of the feet of a pure devotee of the Lord upon his head certainly is a dead body. And the person who has never experienced the flavor of Tulasi leaves from the lotus feet of the Lord is also a dead body, although breathing."

PRABHUPADA: Prahlada Maharaja was asked by his father, "How did you develop this Krishna consciousness?" So he replied that naisham matis tavad urukramanghrim: [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.32] "This Krishna consciousness cannot be developed..." Sprishaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah. Krishna consciousness, development of Krishna consciousness, means anartha apagama. Anartha means things we do not require. Anartha. Artha, anartha. Artha means which is essentially required, and anartha means which is not required, artificially we have requisitioned. So when one grows his Krishna consciousness, immediately his artificial life becomes finished. Bhaktih pareshanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.2.42]. This is the symptom of development of Krishna consciousness, that he's not anymore interested for material, unnecessary things. This is the test. If one is increasing Krishna consciousness, at the same time he has got full attachment for material things, that means he's not developing.

... If one takes Krishna consciousness, like the dust of a pure devotee, if he takes the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee, immediately he becomes freed from all these unnecessary demands.

naisham matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprishaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo- 'bhishekham
nishkinchananam na vrinita yavat [Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.32]

Krishna consciousness cannot be developed unless one takes the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee. This is these words, Prahlada Maharaja's remark. In other words, unless one comes in contact with a pure devotee, Krishna consciousness cannot be developed. It is not possible. Therefore here it is recommended by Suta Gosvami that jivan chavo bhagavatanghri-renum na jatu martyo 'bhilabheta yas tu. Renu, renu means dust. If one does not try to secure the dust of the lotus feet of bhagavata... Bhagavata means pure devotee of the Lord.

One bhagavata is this book Bhagavata, another bhagavata, the person bhagavata. Who lives on the book Bhagavata, he is person bhagavata. Two kinds of bhagavata. So we have to learn Bhagavatam from the living bhagavata.