Kṛṣṇa, the Paramātmā in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of a devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. Wherever there is glorification of the Lord it is to be understood that Kṛṣṇa is present there in the form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally. The holy name of the Lord has all the potencies of the Lord.
Kṛṣṇa, the Paramātmā in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of a devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. Wherever there is glorification of the Lord it is to be understood that Kṛṣṇa is present there in the form of transcendental sound, which is as powerful as the Lord personally. The holy name of the Lord has all the potencies of the Lord. There is no rigid fixture of time, and anyone can chant the holy name with attention and reverence at his convenience. Unfortunately we have no taste for hearing and glorifying the Lord’s name and activities even though the Lord is present personally before us in the form of transcendental sound.
When the Lord sees that a devotee is eager to hear about Him, He acts from within the devotee so that the devotee may easily go back to Him. The Lord is more anxious to take us back than we can desire. One cannot enter into the kingdom of God unless one is purified of all sins. Women and wealth are very difficult problems for the devotee making progress on the path back to Godhead. But when one is helped by the Lord Himself, the whole process becomes very easy. By hearing the glories of the Lord one can gradually realize his real position. By the grace of the Lord such a devotee gets sufficient strength to defend himself from the state of disturbances, and gradually all disturbing elements are eliminated from his mind.
The fifth stage bhajaneṣu-spṛhā is also indicated in verse 17 by the lines śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathā kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ. From the desire to hear follows the practices of hearing, chanting, and then remembering.