Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 17.37-38
Envy Seeks to Defame a Devotee
“One night while kīrtana was going on inside Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s house, a brāhmaṇa named Gopāla Cāpāla, the chief of the nonbelievers, who was talkative and very rough in his speech, placed all the paraphernalia for worshiping the goddess Durgā outside Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s door.”
What the purport teaches
- Gopāla Cāpāla wanted to defame Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura by making him appear to be a worshiper of Bhavānī who was only posing as a Vaiṣṇava.
- Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura was a well-known and respected Vaiṣṇava in Navadvīpa. Gopāla Cāpāla sought to reduce his prestige.
- To create this false impression, Gopāla Cāpāla placed articles for worshiping Bhavānī outside Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s door while kīrtana was going on inside.
Try this today
Refrain today from repeating an accusation about someone that you have not verified.
Ask yourself
Do my words about others protect the truth, or seek to lower their reputation?
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.