Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 11
The First Step in God Realization: The Glory of Hearing and the Virāṭ-Rūpa Meditation
एतन्निर्विद्यमानानामिच्छतामकुतोभयम् । योगिनां नृप निर्णीतं हरेर्नामानुकीर्तनम् ॥ ११ ॥
etan nirvidyamānānām icchatām akuto-bhayam yogināṁ nṛpa nirṇītaṁ harer nāmānukīrtanam
Wahai raja, bagi mereka yang bebas dari keinginan duniawi, bagi yang menginginkan kenikmatan, maupun para yogi yang puas oleh pengetahuan rohani—jalan yang pasti dan tanpa takut adalah kīrtana nama suci Hari.
In the previous verse, the great necessity for attaining attachment to Mukunda has been accredited. There are different types of persons who desire to attain success in different varieties of pursuits. Generally the persons are materialists who desire to enjoy the fullest extent of material gratification. Next to them are the transcendentalists, who have attained perfect knowledge about the nature of material enjoyment and thus are aloof from such an illusory way of life. More or less, they are satisfied in themselves by self-realization. Above them are the devotees of the Lord, who neither aspire to enjoy the material world nor desire to get out of it. They are after the satisfaction of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. In other words, the devotees of the Lord do not want anything on their personal account. If the Lord desires, the devotees can accept all sorts of material facilities, and if the Lord does not desire this, the devotees can leave aside all sorts of facilities, even up to the limit of salvation. Nor are they self-satisfied, because they want the satisfaction of the Lord only. In this verse, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī recommends the transcendental chanting of the holy name of the Lord. By offenseless chanting and hearing of the holy name of the Lord, one becomes acquainted with the transcendental form of the Lord, and then with the attributes of the Lord, and then with the transcendental nature of His pastimes, etc. Here it is mentioned that one should constantly chant the holy name of the Lord after hearing it from authorities. This means that hearing from the authorities is the first essential. Hearing of the holy name gradually promotes one to the stage of hearing about His form, His attributes, His pastimes, and so on, and thus the necessity of the chanting of His glories develops successively. This process is recommended not only for the successful execution of devotional service, but also even for those who are materially attached. According to Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, this way of attaining success is an established fact, concluded not only by him but also by all other previous ācāryas. Therefore, there is no need of further evidence. The process is recommended not only for the progressive students in different departments of ideological success, but also for those who are already successful in their achievement as fruitive workers, as philosophers or as devotees of the Lord.
FAQs
This verse states that realized yogīs have conclusively determined that constant chanting of Hari’s holy name (nāmānukīrtanam) is the effective means for those seeking detachment and the fearless liberated state.
Parīkṣit had only a short time left to live and sought the highest good; Śukadeva therefore presents the most decisive, fear-destroying practice—devotional chanting of Hari’s names—as the essence of spiritual attainment.
By regularly chanting and hearing the Lord’s names with attention—daily japa, kīrtana, or mindful repetition—one gradually gains detachment from anxiety-producing pursuits and cultivates inner fearlessness and devotion.