42 On the Way to Krsna

and the moon as Krsna, and we can hear Krsna in
sound and taste Him in water. Unfortunately, in our
present condition we have forgotten Krsna. But now
we have to revive our spiritual life by remembering
Him.

This process of sravanam kirtanam—hearing and
chanting—was approved by Lord Caitanya Maha-
prabhu. When Lord Caitanya was speaking with
Ramananda Raya, a friend of the Lord’s and a
great devotee, the Lord questioned him about the
methods of spiritual realization. Ramananda recom-
mended varnasrama-dharma, sannyasa, the renunci-
ation of work, and so many other methods, but Lord
Caitanya said, “No, all of these are not so good.”
Each time Ramananda Raya suggested something,
_Lord Caitanya rejected it, requesting a better method
for spiritual development. Finally Ramananda Raya
quoted a Vedic aphorism which recommended that
one give up all unnecessary endeavor in mental
speculation for understanding God because by specu-
lation it is not possible to arrive at the ultimate
truth. Scientists, for instance, may speculate about
distant stars and planets, but they can never come to
any conclusions without experience. One may go on
speculating throughout his life and never reach any
conclusions.

It is especially useless to speculate about God.
Therefore Srimad-Bhagavatam recommends that all
sorts of speculation should be given up. It is recom-
mended instead that one become submissive, real-
izing that not only is he an insignificant creature,
but that this earth is only one small point in the
