Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 11.112
Pilgrimage Regulations and the Path of Love
“The Bhaṭṭācārya told the King, “What you have said is right according to the regulative principles governing the visiting of holy places, but there is another path, which is the path of spontaneous love. According to those principles, there are subtle intricacies involved in the execution of religious principles.”
What the purport teaches
- The Bhaṭṭācārya affirms the King’s understanding of pilgrimage regulations, while explaining that there is also a path of spontaneous love. Religious principles involve subtle intricacies.
- The Vedic regulations prescribe complete celibacy before entering a holy place. On entering, one should fast for the day, shave the head clean and bathe in a nearby river or ocean.
- These methods are adopted to neutralize the effects of sinful activities. The purport explains that visitors leave the reactions of their sinful lives at holy places, which consequently become overloaded.
Try this today
Write down the stated purpose of pilgrimage regulations: neutralizing the reactions of sinful activities.
Ask yourself
How does understanding the purpose of pilgrimage regulations change the way you view a visit to a holy place?
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.