1. Jai! Jai! Salutations to you, Lord Ganesha! You are the powerful magnificence of Knowledge, Self-Knowledge, and Ultimate Truth. So that others may know, help me to speak.
2. Salutations to Goddess Sharada who is the mother of the Vedas. Spiritual accomplishment is possible because of her. She is the inspiration that moves the mind to meditate.
3. And now let us remember the Sadguru, the True Master, who is the greatest of the greatest. It is because of him that one begins to understand the investigation of Knowledge (Jnana).
4. The listeners have asked a good question. "How should one adore God?" Therefore, naturally I will speak about it in this text.
5. The listeners should be alert and listen to the nine types of devotion.23 In sacred scriptures it is said that upon hearing about these one becomes purified.
6. The nine types of devotion will be clearly explained now. The listeners should pay close attention.
7. Understand that the first type of devotion is listening (shravana). People should listen to explanations and ancient stories about God, and continue listening to many explanations about spiritual science and Self-Knowledge.
8. Listen to explanations about the path of action (karma), the path of knowledge (jnana), the path of conclusive truth (siddhanta), the path of union (yoga), and the path of desirelessness (vairagya).
9. Listen to the importance of religious observances and vows, pilgrimage places, and various types of charity.
10. Listen to what is said about many great people and many places, various mantras and spiritual practices, as well as different types of austerities and initiations.
11. Listen about how some people live on only milk, or without food, or only on fruit, or on leaves or grass, and how some live on many different types of food.
12. Listen to how some people live in extreme heat, or in water, or in extreme cold, or in the jungles, or buried underground, or how some roam about in the air.
13. Listen to how some are engrossed in the repetition of the name of God, how some engage in difficult practices, how some are hot tempered yogis, how some practice hatha yoga, some are worshippers of spiritual energy (shakti), and some are yogis practicing sorcery.
14. Listen to the explanations of various signs and gestures (mudras), the postures (asanas) practiced in yoga, various wondrous happenings, concentration points, and the knowledge of the body and various philosophies.
15. Listen to explanations about the composition of various living forms, geographical facts, and the many creations of nature.
16. Listen to the descriptions of the sun, the moon, galaxies of stars, planets, clouds, twenty one heavens, and seven hells.
17. Listen to the description of the abodes of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, and the gods of wind, rain, and wealth.
18. Listen to the description of the nine continents, fourteen worlds, protectors of the eight directions, as well as many jungles, gardens and secret places.
19. Listen to the descriptions of the various groups of celestial warriors, scholars, singers, offspring of gods, celestial singers and experts with musical instruments, and various opinions in the field of music.
20. One should listen to the descriptions of musical moods, rhythms, classical dance, various percussion instruments, appropriate timing, and how to handle situations wisely.
21. One should listen to the explanations of the fourteen sciences or streams of knowledge, the sixty-four arts, palmistry, the attributes of all arts, and the thirty-two signs of auspicious times.
22. One should listen to the knowledge of medicinal mantras and gems, mystical remedies, many types of accomplishments, many herbs, medicinal substances, metals, chemicals and diagnoses that are made using the pulse.
23. Listen to the knowledge about which fault or excess causes which disease, which treatments are for which diseases, and what are the correct times and the combinations of treatments.
24. Listen to the descriptions of the creatures in hell, the pains in the realm of death, and how one experiences the pleasures of heaven and the sufferings of hell.
25. Listen to the description of the nine types of devotion, four types of liberation, and how to attain the best path of spiritual upliftment.
26. Listen to the description of the creation of the human body and the universe, and their organization, the explanation of the consideration of various principles, and the investigation of the True and the false.
27. Listen to how one becomes liberated through absorption in Brahman, and how to attain liberation. For this purpose, many opinions should be sought.
28. Listen to the knowledge of the spiritual sciences (Shastras), of the Vedas, of the mythological texts (Puranas), of the four great statements (Mahavakyas24), and the explanations of the four bodies25, their origin, and their negation.
29. Like this, everything should be listened to. However, one should search for and obtain the True, and discard the false through understanding. This is called devotion through listening.
30. One should listen to the narration about God with attributes (saguna), and one should listen to the discourses on That which is without attributes (nirguna). Like this, one should understand the attributes of devotion through listening.
31. One should continue to listen to the narration of God with attributes and how to use certain symbols for understanding "That" which is without attributes. Both of these are very holy.
32. Listen to the descriptions of the significance of various celebrations, fasting, spiritual practices, mantras, usage of meditation techniques and concepts, repetition of God's name, the speaking about God's praises and fame, and all different kinds of songs of God's glory.
33. In this way, one should listen to the description of God with attributes, which is the Self, as well as to the explanations about the attributeless. Give up the belief in separation from God by seeking out the root of devotion.
34. Now the narration about devotion through listening has been explained so that you may gain understanding. Next, the attributes of devotion through the narration of stories about God, and singing the praises of God will be explained.