Inquiring about Krishna with sincere hearing purifies all hearts and liberates humanity from material delusion.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.1–2 — April 6, 1973, New York 730406SB-NEW YORK [25:48 Minutes] SB-02.01.01–02_730406SB-NEW YORK Prabhupāda: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. [devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse] varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsāṁ śrotavyādiṣu yaḥ paraḥ [SB 2.1.1] śrotavyādīni rājendra nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ apaśyatām ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām [SB 2.1.2] [02:24] So Parīkṣit Mahārāja questioned to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "What is my duty?
Now I am going to die within seven days, what is my duty?" So he inquired about Kṛṣṇa, because Parīkṣit Mahārāja, born in a Vaiṣṇava family, Arjuna's grandson... Pāṇḍavas, they are Vaiṣṇavas and devotee of Kṛṣṇa, so from the childhood he had the opportunity to worship Kṛṣṇa. He was playing with Kṛṣṇa Deities, so naturally he was inclined to hear about Kṛṣṇa. So he inquired, "What is my duty?
Shall I simply hear about Kṛṣṇa, or something else?" So on hearing this question, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is congratulating him, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ [SB 2.1.1]: "Oh, your question is very wonderful, very welcome," varīyān. Varīyān means "very welcome." [aside:] What I have given, varīyān? "Glorious," yes. "Glorious praśnaḥ, because you have inquired about Kṛṣṇa." So varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa [SB 2.1.1]: "My dear king, this question is all-auspicious for all the people of the world." If we simply inquire about Kṛṣṇa or hear about Kṛṣṇa, even though we do not understand, but that vibration of "Kṛṣṇa"... Just like we are chanting "Hare Kṛṣṇa." We may not understand what is meaning of Hare Kṛṣṇa, but still, because it is transcendental sound, it is auspicious.
Wherever you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, they may hear or they may not hear, it is auspicious for them. So we are sending our men for street saṅkīrtana. It doesn't matter whether people are eager to hear it or not, but it is auspicious. It will create an atmosphere which is very, very congenial to the human society. That should be our principle.
Not that because we are chanting, nobody is taking care, we shall not be disappointed. Our this saṅkīrtana movement is so nice that simply by chanting, the vibration will create an auspicious atmosphere, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ [SB 2.1.1]. Now you can practically see, those who are old members... So I began in this New York in that storefront simply by chanting. So I did not bribe you American boys and girls to come after me.
This is the only asset was chanting. That Tompkinson, this Brahmānanda Swami, he first came to dance with my chanting. [laughter] He and Acyutānanda, that was the first dancing of our Kṛṣṇa conscious movement. [laughter] Yes.
And I had no mṛdaṅgas. That was a..., what is that? Devotee: [indistinct] drum. Prabhupāda: Drum, little drum. So I was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa for..., from two to five, three hours, and so many boys and girls were coming and joining, and there was first photograph in the Times, New York Times, they appreciated, and people also appreciated. So this chanting, the beginning was only chanting.