Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Ādi 7.114
Māyā Can Cover Spiritual Knowledge
“Śaṅkarācārya, who is an incarnation of Lord Śiva, is faultless because he is a servant carrying out the orders of the Lord. But those who follow his Māyāvādī philosophy are doomed. They will lose all their advancement in spiritual knowledge.
What the purport teaches
- Śaṅkarācārya, an incarnation of Lord Śiva, is faultless because he carries out the Lord’s orders. Yet the translation warns that followers of his Māyāvādī philosophy lose their advancement in spiritual knowledge.
- Māyāvādī philosophers may proudly display Vedānta knowledge through grammatical jugglery. Kṛṣṇa describes them as bereft of real knowledge due to māyā.
- Māyā has two potencies: prakṣepātmikā-śakti throws the living entity into material existence, and āvaraṇātmikā-śakti covers the living entity’s knowledge.
Try this today
Pause before explaining a spiritual teaching today and check whether you understand it or are merely displaying words.
Ask yourself
How might pride in learning keep you from recognizing a gap in your spiritual understanding?
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.