Verse 2.28

Sanskrit text and transliteration:

फलश्रुत्यङ्कुशाकृष्टः श्रवणादौ प्रवर्तते ।
तत्पूर्वकं यतो ज्ञानं श्रुतिश्चैवमभाषत ॥ २८ ॥

phalaśrutyaṅkuśākṛṣṭaḥ śravaṇādau pravartate |
tatpūrvakaṃ yato jñānaṃ śrutiścaivamabhāṣata || 28 ||

English translation of verse 2.28:

Moved by the hook of the fruit declared in the śruti text, a person resorts to the hearing of the text, etc., because knowledge can be acquired through them. Scripture also has declared thus.

Notes:

A spiritual aspirant who fulfils the fourfold requirement of eligibility shall resort to the hearing of the texts (śravaṇa) followed by reflection (manana) and meditation (nididhyāsana) which are considered to be the principal proximate means (mukhya-antaraṅga-sādhana) to Brahman-knowledge. Commenting on the Bṛhadāraṇyaka text (II, iv, 5), “The Self should be realized—should be heard of, reflected on, and meditated upon,” Śaṅkara says that the Self should first be heard of from a teacher and from Scripture, then reflected on through reasoning and then steadfastly meditated upon. He adds: "Thus only is the Self-realized when these means viz., hearing, reflection, and meditation, have been gone through. When these three are combined, then only true realization of the unity of Brahman is accomplished, not otherwise—by hearing alone.”