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Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 4.197

Recognize a Body Engaged in Service

“Sanātana Gosvāmī is one of the associates of Kṛṣṇa. There could not be any bad odor from his body. On the first day I embraced him, I smelled the aroma of catuḥsama [a mixture of sandalwood pulp, camphor, aguru and musk].”

Śrīla Prabhupāda · Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta Antya 4.197, translation

What the purport teaches

  • An associate of the Lord is one whose body is fully engaged in the Lord’s service.
  • A materialist might see Sanātana Gosvāmī’s body as covered with itching sores, foul moisture and a bad smell.
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu instead described its excellent fragrance as catuḥsama—a mixture of sandalwood pulp, camphor, aguru and musk.

Try this today

Use your body for one small act of service to the Lord today.

Ask yourself

How can I learn to value a person’s service more than their bodily appearance?

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.

A practice of bhakti from the book's own listChant without offensesCC Antya 3.181Next · LeadTeach what you are livingTurn this chapter into a timed class plan or a short reel script.Open Lecture Studio