1098 Stimad-Bhagavatam [Canto 3, Ch. 26

tamasat—from egoism in ignorance; ca—and; vikurvanat—undergoing
transformation; bhagavat-virya—by the energy of the Supreme Personality
of Godhead; coditat—impelled; sabda-matram—the subtle element sound;
abhiit—was manifested; tasmat—from that; nabhah—ether; srotram—the
sense of hearing; tu—then; §abda-gam—which catches sound.

TRANSLATION

When egoism in ignorance is agitated by the sex energy of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, the subtle element sound is manifested, and
from sound comes the ethereal sky and the sense of hearing.

PURPORT

It appears from this verse that all the objects of our sense gratification
are the products of egoism in ignorance. It is understood from this verse
that by agitation of the element of egoism in ignorance the first thing
produced was sound, which is the subtle form of ether. It is stated also in
the Veddnta-sittra that sound is the origin of all objects of material
possession and that by sound one can also dissolve this material existence.
Andaourttih sabdat means “liberation by sound.” The entire material manifes-
tation began from sound, and sound can also end material entanglement, if it
has a particular potency. The particular sound capable of doing this is the
transcendental vibration Hare Krsna. Our entanglement in material affairs
has begun from material sound. Now we must purify that sound in
spiritual understanding. There is sound in the spiritual world also. If we
approach that sound, then our spiritual life begins, and the other require-
ments for spiritual advancement can be supplied. We have to understand
very clearly that sound is the beginning of the creation of all material
objects for our sense gratification. Similarly, if sound is purified, our
spiritual necessities also are produced from sound.

Here it is said that from sound the ether became manifested and that
the air became manifested from ether. How the ethereal sky comes from
sound, how the air comes from sky and how fire comes from air will be
explained later on. Sound is the cause of the sky, and sky is the cause of
Srotram, the ear. The ear is the first sense for receiving knowledge. One
must give aural reception to any knowledge one wants to receive, either
material or spiritual. Therefore srotram is very important. The Vedic
knowledge is called sruti; knowledge has to be received by hearing. By
hearing only can we have access to either material or spiritual enjoyment.

In the material world, we manufacture many things for our material
comfort simply by hearing. They are already there, but just by hearing,
