Through listening occult powers and saintliness are gained,
Heaven and earth are made stable,
And the world and lower worlds revolve.
Through listening death does not touch.
Nanak says, Through listening devotees attain bliss,
And sin and sorrow are destroyed.

Through listening Vishnu, Brahma and Indra came into being,
The most sinful will sing His praises,
And the secrets of yoga and mysteries of the body are revealed.
Through listening all the scriptures and teachings are known.
Nanak says, Through listening devotees attain bliss,
And sin and sorrow are destroyed.

Through listening all truth and contentment are attained,
And the virtue of bathing at the sixty-eight holy places is gained,
And through listening again and again honor is earned
Through listening spontaneous meditation happens.
Nanak says, Through listening devotees attain bliss,
And sin and sorrow are destroyed.

Through listening the highest virtues are acquired,
Sage, saint and king come into being,
And the blind find the path.
Through listening the fathomless is fathomed.
Nanak says, Through listening devotees attain bliss,
And sin and sorrow are destroyed.

Mahavira has described four starting places from which you can reach the other shore. Of these, two can be understood: that of a sadhu and that of a sadhvi, a holy man and a holy woman. The other two seem more difficult: that of a shravaka and shravika. Shravaka means one who has learned the art of listening; he knows how to listen and understands what listening means. And shravika is used for the female.

Mahavira says that there are some who must keep on performing sadhanas in order to arrive. This is necessary for those who are not adept at hearing because if you can listen – totally – there is nothing more to be done to reach the other shore.

These sutras of Nanak depict the glory of shravana, listening, although on the face of it, it seems an exaggeration that everything can be attained merely by listening. We have been listening for infinite births and nothing has happened. It is our experience that no matter how much we hear, we remain the same. Our vessel is greasy; words fall on it but they slide off, leaving us untouched.

If our experience is correct, Nanak is exaggerating. But it is not true; our experience is incorrect, because we have never listened. We have many tricks and devices not to listen. Let us understand them first.