Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 6.97
The Lord’s Appearance as a Devotee
“The scriptures call them incarnations as devotees [bhakta-avatāra]. The position of being such an incarnation is above all others.”
What the purport teaches
- The scriptures call these incarnations bhakta-avatāra, incarnations as devotees. This position is above all others.
- The Lord’s appearance as a devotee is more beneficial to conditioned souls than His other incarnations with all their opulences. Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as Lord Caitanya without showing much opulence, so fewer conditioned souls were bewildered.
- False egoism leads conditioned souls to misunderstand the Lord and try to become one with Him. The purport warns that falsely considering oneself an incarnation brings punishment in lower species of life.
Try this today
Reread the explanation of Lord Caitanya’s appearance and note how it benefits conditioned souls.
Ask yourself
How can you approach the Lord’s appearance as a devotee with greater humility?
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.