Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 17.249
Chanting Is Beyond Pious Results
“Why are You chanting the names ‘gopī gopī’ instead of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which is so glorious? What pious result will You achieve by such chanting?”
What the purport teaches
- The activities of a pure devotee cannot be understood even by a learned person. The neophyte student could not understand why Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was chanting the names of the gopīs.
- To chant Kṛṣṇa’s holy name in exchange for the achievement of piety is an offense. The student did not know this when he asked what pious result such chanting would bring.
- Chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa or the holy name gopī is on the transcendental platform of loving affairs. It is not a question of piety or impiety.
Try this today
Chant Kṛṣṇa’s holy name today without asking for a pious reward.
Ask yourself
Do I approach chanting as loving service or as a way to gain pious results?
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.