When one speaks from one’s heart, the message touches the heart of the hearers; when one speaks out of one’s intelligence, only the intelligence of the hearer receives the message; and, when one speaks from one’s mouth, the message is simply delivered to the ears of the hearer. Therefore, a scriptural teacher must employ one’s heart along with the mouth and intelligence while delivering spiritual knowledge. A heart filled with devotion to the Lord can inspire devotion in others’ hearts, through the medium of teaching.
Devotion is the foremost quality of a spiritual speaker. For one who personally relishes the pure teachings of sastra, sharing them is a source of spiritual joy. The upsurge of appreciation for the Lord’s names, forms, qualities and pastimes within one’s heart makes one naturally and spontaneously want to glorify Him. This expression of love is called sastric teaching. Hearing such heartfelt words fills the hearts of the audience with satisfaction, a desire to know more about God, and ultimately an inspiration to enter spiritual life. Here are a few examples that substantiate this point.”
“Sukadeva Gosvami, the one who spoke the Srimad Bhagavatam to Suta Gosvami, is yet another wonderful example of such love for the Lord. Right at the onset of the Bhagavatam (1.1.3), we find –
nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ
śuka-mukhād amṛta-drava-saṁyutam
pibata bhāgavataṁ rasam ālayam
muhur aho rasikā bhuvi bhāvukāḥ
“Srimad-Bhagavatam is the ripened fruit of the desire tree of Vedic scriptures. Being emanated from the lips of Sri Sukadeva Gosvami, this fruit has become much tastier nectarean juice. Therefore, please drink and relish this juice repeatedly, O thoughtful devotees.”
Just as the flavor of a ripened fruit increases when bitten by a parrot, the wonderful Bhagavatam pastimes become more relishable to the hearers when narrated by Sukadeva Gosvami. The sweetness of the pastimes of the Lord is enhanced when mixed with the love of His devotees who narrate them with devotion. Thus, the degree of love for God that the speaker holds, will be the degree of love for God that the hearers will be overwhelmed by. Here is a sweet example of this phenomena straight from Vṛndavana, the eternal spiritual abode of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”
“The motherly gopis of Vṛndavana very much relished the stealing pastimes of little Kṛṣṇa. In fact, they prepared fresh butter and the choicest of milk products in anticipation of Kṛṣṇa coming and stealing them. Desiring never to forget Kṛṣṇa’s sweet acts, they kept discussing about it amongst themselves constantly. They would even go to Mother Yasoda and speak of Kṛṣṇa’s thievery, in the form of complaints. Thus, they seemed to rebuke Kṛṣṇa externally, while hiding their love internally.
The real reason for their complaints is to give Yasoda the pleasure of hearing Kṛṣṇa’s stealing pastimes. They thought she would be bereft of the joy of witnessing those sweet acts, for Kṛṣṇa wouldn’t need to steal in His own house. Hearing all their complaints, Mother Yasoda indeed experienced a pleasure greater than the gopis did by witnessing Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes firsthand.
This is the special feature of Kṛṣṇa’s enchanting lilas: When narrated by His pure devotees like the gopis or Sukadeva Gosvami, they taste even more nectarean, being mixed with their love.
“Therefore, in order to speak effectively, one must develop love for the Lord, which in turn makes one’s teaching more impactful. Thus, an ideal teacher is one who relishes the subject matter and expresses it with love. That will inspire devotion in the hearts of the hearers. Ultimately the purpose of scriptural discussions is to individually and collectively develop our devotion for God.”
Excerpt From
The Art of Studying & Teachi ng Scriptures
