Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 9.140
Renunciation Must Consider Family Responsibilities
“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “If you all adopt the renounced order and lose interest in dealing with pounds, shillings and pence, who will take charge of maintaining your large family?”
What the purport teaches
- Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asks who will maintain the large family if all the brothers adopt the renounced order.
- His question brings attention to the practical duty of family maintenance. Losing interest in money does not remove the family’s needs.
- In the following instruction, He affirms that the brothers remain His servants whether working or renounced. Maintaining the family need not mean abandoning service to Him.
Try this today
Complete one small task today that helps meet your family’s practical needs.
Ask yourself
How can I honor my responsibilities while seeking freedom from attachment?
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.