How can we realize our spiritual nature?
The Bhagavad-gita in its thirteenth chapter overviews the
nature of the soul’s entanglement in matter and the way to disentanglement. It
mentions three of those methods – dhyana-yoga, sankhya-yoga and karma-yoga – in
one verse (13.25) and then devotes one full verse (13.26) to the process of
hearing, which is the first and foremost limb of bhakti-yoga. The Gita’s
emphasis on bhakti-yoga is evident not only from the special attention it
receives, but also from the special reach that it has, as is mentioned in the
verse. The verse specifically highlights those who are unaware of life’s spiritual
dimension, indicating thereby that they aren’t and don’t have to be spiritual
seekers striving strenuously for higher realization. Even such people who might
be considered mediocre spiritualists can, the verse assures, attain by regular
hearing the supreme destination and go beyond the clutches of death.
Thus special efficacy of hearing stems from the distinctive
potency of spiritual sound to arouse souls slumbering in spiritual
forgetfulness. Just as material sound awakens from material sleep, spiritual
sound awakens from spiritual sleep. Spiritual sound doesn’t refer to some eerie
sound of a queer frequency produced by some exotic means; it simply refers to
sound about spiritual reality, specifically the supreme spiritual reality,
Krishna, coming from those who are perceiving that reality or at least
sincerely aiming for it. Such Krishna-centered sound can be either his holy
name or his sacred message or his sweet pastimes. Being our supreme savior who
is eager to deliver us from all miseries, Krishna imbues spiritual sounds with
his divine presence and omnipotence and grace. When we thus connect with him,
spiritual sound activates our higher spiritual perception, thereby enabling us
to sense Krishna’s presence everywhere, including close to us in our own heart.
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