140 TEACHINGS OF QUEEN KUNTI

is developed by the process of devotional service only, beginning with
hearing about the Lord from the right sources. The Bhagavad-gita is one
of the popular literatures which are generally heard, chanted, repeated,
etc., by the people in general, but in spite of such hearing, etc., some-
times it is experienced that the performer of such devotional service does
not see the Lord face to face. The reason is that the first item, sravana, is
very important. If hearing is from the right sources, it acts very quickly.
Generally people hear from unauthorized persons. Such unauthorized
persons may be very learned by academic qualifications, but because they
do not follow the principles of devotional service, hearing from them be-
comes a sheer waste of time. Sometimes the texts are interpreted
fashionably to suit their own purposes. Therefore, first one should select
a competent and bona fide speaker and then hear from him. When the
hearing process is perfect and complete, the other processes become
automatically perfect in their own way.

There are different transcendental activities of the Lord, and each and
every one of them is competent to bestow the desired result, provided
the hearing process is perfect. In the Bhagavatam the activities of the
Lord begin from His dealings with the Pandavas. There are many other
pastimes of the Lord in connection with His dealings with the asuras and
others. And in the Tenth Canto the sublime dealings with His conjugal
associates, the gopis, as well as with His married wives at Dvaraka are
mentioned. Since the Lord is absolute, there is no difference in the tran-
scendental nature of each and every dealing of the Lord. But sometimes
people, in an unauthorized hearing process, take more interest in hearing
about His dealings with the gopis. Such an inclination indicates the lusty
feelings of the hearer, so a bona fide speaker of the dealings of the Lord
never indulges in such hearings. One must hear about the Lord from the
very beginning, as in the Srimad-Bhdgavatam or any other scriptures, and
that will help the hearer attain perfection by progressive development.
One should not, therefore, consider that His dealings with the Pandavas
are less important than His dealings with the gopis. We must always
remember that the Lord is always transcendental to all mundane attach-
ment. In all the above-mentioned dealings of the Lord, He is the hero in
all circumstances, and hearing about Him or about His devotees or com-
batants is conducive to spiritual life. It is said that the Vedas and Puranas,
etc., are all made to revive our lost relation with Him. Hearing of all these
scriptures is essential.

In the previous verses, Kuntidevi has explained that those who have
come to this material world are working very hard like asses and have
