Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 6.198
Pure Devotion Requires Freedom From Material Desire
“Although your father and uncle are charitable to brāhmaṇas and greatly help them, they are nevertheless not pure Vaiṣṇavas. However, they are almost like Vaiṣṇavas.
What the purport teaches
- Charity to brāhmaṇas, Deity worship, and outward Vaiṣṇava dress do not by themselves make someone a pure Vaiṣṇava.
- The basic qualification of a pure Vaiṣṇava is having no desire for material enjoyment. Outward piety may still conceal a desire for a higher standard of material life.
- Raghunātha dāsa’s father and uncle were charitable and pious, but were considered almost Vaiṣṇavas, not pure Vaiṣṇavas. Nevertheless, they were not blind materialistic enjoyers.
Try this today
Before one act of worship or charity today, examine your motive and aim to act without seeking material gain.
Ask yourself
When I worship or give charity, am I seeking pure devotion or improved material enjoyment?
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.