শ্রবণকীর্তন হৈতে কৃষ্ণে হয ঽপ্রেমাঽ সেই পংচম পুরুষার্থ—পুরুষার্থের সীমা
श्रवणकीर्तन हैते कृष्णे हय ऽप्रेमाऽ सेइ पंचम पुरुषार्थ—पुरुषार्थेर सीमा
śravaṇa-kīrtana ha-ite kṛṣṇe haya 'premā' sei pañcama puruṣārtha—puruṣārthera sīmā
Synonyms
śravaṇa-kīrtana—hearing and chanting; ha-ite—from; kṛṣṇe—unto Lord Kṛṣṇa; haya—there is; premā—transcendental love; sei—that; pañcama puruṣa-artha—the fifth platform of perfection of life; puruṣa-arthera sīmā—the limit of goals of life..
Translation
"When one comes to the platform of loving service to Lord Kṛṣṇa by executing these nine processes, he has attained the fifth platform of success and the limit of life's goals.
Purport
Everyone is after success in religion, economic development, sense gratification and ultimately merging into the existence of Brahman. These are the general practices of the common man, but according to the strict principles of the Vedas, the highest attainment is to rise to the platform of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam—chanting and hearing about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is confirmed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.2):
dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ
vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam
śrīmad-bhāgavate mahāmuni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ
sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate 'tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt
"Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Śrī Vyāsadeva, is sufficient in itself for God realization. As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, he becomes attached to the Supreme Lord."
According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, the material conception of success (mokṣa or liberation) is desired by those in material existence. Not being situated in material existence, the devotees have no desire for liberation.
A devotee is always liberated in all stages of life because he is always engaged in the nine items of devotional service (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, etc.). Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy holds that devotional service to Kṛṣṇa always exists in everyone's heart. It simply has to be awakened by the process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Śravaṇādi śuddha-citte karaye udaya (Cc. Madhya 22.107). When a person is actually engaged in devotional service, his eternal relationship with the Lord, the servant-master relationship, is awakened.