Do we need to hear true spiritual sound to be elevated?
Does that answer your question so to elevate ourselves spiritually does any hearing do that sometimes we hear it and not feel ourselves elevated so we need to there is a true spiritual sound and we need to hear that in the process of hearing there are three things the speaker, the sound vibration and there is the hearer so now all three are important so the the more spiritually elevated the speaker is the more the sound vibration coming will be potent and similarly as you said the more receptive the hearer is that sound vibration will enter deeper and also the subject is also pertinent then that will have a greater effect so all three matter at the same time we are individuals and one of the principles that Rupa Goswami talks about in Bhakti Sahaja Yoga is that we should have association of devotees who are like minded specific Sanskrit word sa jatiya asha snigdha sangha snigdha is affection and sa jatiya asha asha is desire sa jatiya means those who have the same category of desires that means that association in general is fine but if you want to be spiritually elevated you should want to feel spiritually uplifted we need like minded association so now this point like minded is significant that means we could say our mind is material our mind is yes mind is filled with material impressions so what does like minded mean actually yes our mind is filled with material impressions but still our mind is the channel through which our consciousness is going whether sound vibration is coming in or our own consciousness is going out and so if someone is an intellectual that person will need more intellectual presentations otherwise this person will be all same all stuff being repeated someone else who is not an intellectual that person is attracted more to the cultural aspects of life that person the presentation of two intellectual why do you need to put so much effort who is right who is wrong there is no right or wrong we have to see what is right for me so yes we do need to hear but at the same time we have to see that what hearing is elevating and rather than making that as a judgment of the speaker maybe this person is not giving true spiritual sound that is we will become very judgmental we don't have to do that we can focus much more on what elevates me and we choose that sometimes a person may be very spiritually elevated but they may think differently from the way we think so what is the problem is not their lack of spiritual advancement not that the sound vibration that is coming from them is not spiritual spiritually important but it is just that they are not so like minded and if we become judgmental about others our spirituality should make us more understanding not more judgmental so sometimes oh this devotee is advanced this devotee is not advanced this devotee is giving pure sound vibration this devotee is not giving pure sound vibration actually this is criticism of others judgmental attitude towards others we definitely need to discern discerning which we do that is from a humble position where I am like a patient I need treatment so which treatment is the most effective for me I will take that that is not a statement on the caliber of the doctor it is simply what works for me so discerning we need to do but when we judge we put ourselves in a superior position and think oh this is this is advanced devotee he is not advanced devotee rather than going in that zone just if we make that thing that hearing is a ritual no that won't work we have to feel spiritually elevated by the hearing and then we have to choose which subject if we decide a particular book interest and we find out talks on that particular book for that particular section so Prabhupada would say that we have to fly our own plane what that means is that we have to take responsibility for our spiritual advancement and that means we have to see what is it that stimulates me spiritually what is it that activates me spiritually and we do that so hearing is important but hearing that or hearing from those or hearing those subjects which inspire us which activate us spiritually that is our responsibility and we can do that in a discerning in a humble and discerning way not in a judgmental way does it address your question thank you.