Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 17.104
Knowledge Accessible Even to the Poorest
“Please tell Me who I was in My previous birth,” the Lord said. “Please tell Me by your astrological computations.” Hearing the words of the Lord, the astrologer immediately began to calculate.
What the purport teaches
- The Lord asked who He had been in His previous birth, and the astrologer immediately began calculating. The purport says his knowledge was genuine, not a facade.
- The purport describes the Bhṛgu-saṁhitā as a system for learning about past and future lives. Learned brāhmaṇas made such knowledge available even to the poorest people.
- The brāhmaṇa did not demand payment; a poor person could offer a handful of rice or whatever he had. In a perfect society, knowledge is available without anxiety over payment.
Try this today
Share one useful thing you know with someone today, without asking for payment or a favor.
Ask yourself
What can I learn from the ideal of sharing knowledge without making wealth a condition?
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.