Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 17
The Universal Form (Virāṭ-Puruṣa): The Lord’s Entry into the Elements, the Devas, and the Origin of Varṇāśrama
कर्णावस्य विनिर्भिन्नौ धिष्ण्यं स्वं विविशुर्दिश: । श्रोत्रेणांशेन शब्दस्य सिद्धिं येन प्रपद्यते ॥ १७ ॥
karṇāv asya vinirbhinnau dhiṣṇyaṁ svaṁ viviśur diśaḥ śrotreṇāṁśena śabdasya siddhiṁ yena prapadyate
宇宙の巨身の耳が顕れると、方位を司る神々がそれぞれの座としてそこに入った。聴覚原理の一分により音が成就し、衆生は音を聞き受け取る。
The ear is the most important instrument in the body of the living entity. Sound is the most important medium for carrying the message of distant and unknown things. The perfection of all sound or knowledge enters through the ear and makes one’s life perfect. The entire Vedic system of knowledge is received by aural reception only, and thus sound is the most important source of knowledge.
FAQs
This verse says that when the ears of the universal form manifest, the presiding deities of the directions enter them, and through the ear sound becomes fully functional and knowable.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī is narrating the manifestation of the universal form’s limbs and their presiding deities while instructing Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
It highlights the sacred power of hearing: by consciously using the ear for śravaṇa—hearing Bhagavān’s names, teachings, and kīrtana—one elevates perception from mere sound to spiritual realization.