Shloka 37
The Universal Form (Virāṭ-Puruṣa): The Lord’s Entry into the Elements, the Devas, and the Origin of Varṇāśrama
एकान्तलाभं वचसो नु पुंसां सुश्लोकमौलेर्गुणवादमाहु: । श्रुतेश्च विद्वद्भिरुपाकृतायां कथासुधायामुपसम्प्रयोगम् ॥ ३७ ॥
ekānta-lābhaṁ vacaso nu puṁsāṁ suśloka-mauler guṇa-vādam āhuḥ śruteś ca vidvadbhir upākṛtāyāṁ kathā-sudhāyām upasamprayogam
The sole, highest gain of human speech is said to be discourse on the virtues and deeds of Śrī Hari, the crest of holy hymns. The nectar of such narrations, arranged from śruti by the learned sages, fulfills the very purpose of the ear simply by drawing near to it.
The impersonalists are very much afraid of hearing the activities of the Lord because they think that the happiness derived from the transcendental situation of Brahman is the ultimate goal of life; they think that anyone’s activity, even that of the Personality of Godhead, is mundane. But the idea of happiness indicated in this verse is different because it relates to the activities of the Supreme Personality, who has transcendental qualities. The word guṇa-vādam is significant because the qualities of the Lord and His activities and pastimes are the subject matter for the discussions of devotees. A ṛṣi like Maitreya is certainly not interested in discussing anything pertaining to mundane qualities, yet he says that the highest perfectional stage of transcendental realization is to discuss the Lord’s activities. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, therefore, concludes that topics regarding the transcendental activities of the Lord are far beyond the transcendental realization of kaivalya happiness. These transcendental activities of the Lord are so arranged in writing by the great sages that simply by hearing of those narrations one becomes perfectly self-realized, and the proper use of the ear and the tongue is also achieved. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is one of such great literatures, and the highest perfectional state of life is attained simply by hearing and reciting its contents.
FAQs
This verse says the highest gain of speech is to glorify the Lord’s qualities—speaking His guṇa-kīrtana rather than mundane talk.
The verse teaches that the ear is properly engaged by closely associating with the nectar of sacred narration—Bhagavata-kathā—presented in śruti and explained by the learned.
Reduce idle speech and replace it with meaningful remembrance and discussion of the Lord, and regularly hear authentic Bhagavatam teachings from qualified devotees or reliable scripture-based sources.