Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 5.101
Be discerning about poetry
“Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī replied, “Dear Bhagavān Ācārya, you are a very liberal cowherd boy. Sometimes the desire awakens within you to hear any kind of poetry.”
What the purport teaches
- Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī affectionately addresses Bhagavān Ācārya as a very liberal cowherd boy.
- He observes that Bhagavān Ācārya sometimes desires to hear any kind of poetry.
- His reply introduces a caution: willingness to hear poetry should be accompanied by attention to its devotional understanding.
Try this today
Pause before choosing devotional poetry today and ask whether it offers sound devotional understanding.
Ask yourself
Do I consider a poem’s devotional understanding as well as its appeal?
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.