Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 11.10
Choose Spiritually Advanced Association
“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “Although it is correct that the King is a great devotee, he is still to be considered a venomous snake. Similarly, even though a woman be made of wood, one becomes agitated simply by touching her form.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrī Cāṇakya Paṇḍita advises abandoning the association of materialistic people and associating with spiritually advanced people.
- A materialist's qualifications do not remove the danger of materialistic association, just as jewels do not make a venomous snake harmless.
- One should therefore be careful in dealing with materialists, just as one would be careful with a bejeweled serpent.
Try this today
Make time today for one conversation with a spiritually advanced person.
Ask yourself
Am I drawn to impressive qualifications while overlooking the influence of someone's association?
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.