Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 10.154
Spiritual Advancement, Not Outward Prestige
“When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His devotees approached him, they saw that he was covered with a deerskin. Seeing this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became very unhappy.”
What the purport teaches
- Brahmānanda Bhāratī belonged to the Śaṅkara-sampradāya. The title Bhāratī indicates one of its ten classes of sannyāsīs.
- The Manu-saṁhitā enjoins those who have renounced the world to cover themselves with a deerskin or tree bark.
- Simply wearing a deerskin without spiritually advancing leaves a sannyāsī bewildered by false prestige. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was unhappy to see Brahmānanda Bhāratī wearing one.
Try this today
Examine one outward sign of your spiritual life and honestly consider whether you use it for prestige.
Ask yourself
Am I giving more attention to appearing spiritual than to spiritually advancing?
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.