Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 17.48-49
Pure Chanting Carries Purification From Person to Person
“When someone heard the chanting of the holy name from the mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and someone else heard this chanting from that second person, and someone again heard this chanting from the third person, everyone in all countries became a Vaiṣṇava through such disciplic succession. Thus everyone chanted the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and Hari, and they danced, cried and smiled.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no one can claim His potency. Hearing the holy name directly from Him purifies the hearer.
- When another person hears from that purified devotee, he also is purified. In this paramparā system, one person after another becomes a Vaiṣṇava.
- A pure devotee’s chanting can purify hundreds and thousands of people when it is offenseless and without material motives. Through this succession, people chanted the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and Hari, dancing, crying and smiling.
Try this today
Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra today with the intention to avoid offenses and seek no material reward.
Ask yourself
What material motive could you set aside as you approach chanting today?
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.