← Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1962)

Chapter 5: Sri Narada's Instructions on Srimad Bhagwatam for Vyasdeva

Verse 38 of 40
SB 1.5.38

iti mūrty-abhidhānena mantra-mūrtim amūrtikam yajate yajña-puruṣaṁ sa samyag darśanaḥ pumān

Synonyms

itithus; mūrtirepresentation; abhidhānenain sound, mantramurtim—Form—representation of transcendental sound; mantra-mūrtimthe Lord who has no material form; amūrtikamworship; yajateVishnu; yajñathe Personality of Godhead; puruṣamhe alone; saḥperfectly; samyakone who has seen; darśanaḥperson.

Translation

As such one who worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead Vishnu who has no material Form,—in the Form of transcendental sound representation is the actual seer.

Purport

Our present senses are all made of material elements and therefore they are imperfect to realise the transcendental Form of Lord Vishnu. He is therefore worshipped by sound representation in the way of transcendental method of chanting. Anything which is beyond the scope of experience by our imperfect senses can be realised fully simply by the sound representation. A person transmitting sound from a far distant place can be factually experienced. If this is materially become possible why not spiritually about Lord Vishnu. This experience is not a vague experience of impersonlist. But it is actually experience of the transcendental Personality of Godhead Who posesses the Pure Form of eternity bliss and knowledge. In the Amrkosh Sanskrit Dictionary the diction Murti carries import in two fold meanings namely Form and difficulty.

Therefore Amurtikam is explained by Acharya Sri Vishwanath Chakravarty Thakur as without difficulty. The transcendental Form of eternal bliss and knowledge can be experienced by our original spiritual senses which can be revived by chanting of the holy Mantras or transcendental sound representation. Such sound should be received from the transparent agency of the bonafide spiritual master and the chanting may be practised by the direction of the spiritual master. That will gradually lead us nearer to the Lord. This method of worship is recommended in the Pancharatrik system which is both recognised and authorised. The Panchratrik system is the most authorised codes for transcendental devotional service and without the help of such codes no body can approach the Lord simply by dry philosophical speculation. The Pancharatrik system is both practical and most suitable for this age of quarrel. The Pancharatra is more important than the Vedanta with special reference to the modern age.

Verse 38 of 40
Prabhupāda Says