Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 13.100
Celebrating the Lord’s Birth with Charity
“Seeing the lunar eclipse and laughing, Advaita Ācārya and Haridāsa Ṭhākura immediately went to the bank of the Ganges and bathed in the river in great jubilation. Taking advantage of the occasion of the lunar eclipse, Advaita Ācārya, by His mental strength, distributed various types of charity to the brāhmaṇas.”
What the purport teaches
- Giving charity during an eclipse is a Hindu custom. Advaita Ācārya used the occasion to distribute many varieties of charity to the brāhmaṇas by His mental strength.
- His actual reason for giving charity was Lord Caitanya’s birth, not the lunar eclipse. People could not understand this reason for His great generosity.
- Advaita Ācārya distributed charity just as Vasudeva had done at Lord Kṛṣṇa’s appearance. Vasudeva had given ten thousand cows to the brāhmaṇas.
Try this today
Give a small donation to someone in need today while remembering Lord Caitanya’s birth.
Ask yourself
How might remembering the Lord turn your happiness into generosity?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.