Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 18.108
Recognize Our Tendency to Mistake
“But where they are seeing Kṛṣṇa is their mistake. It is like considering a dry tree to be a person.”
What the purport teaches
- Sthāṇu means a dry tree without leaves. Mistaking such a tree for a person from a distance is called sthāṇu-puruṣa.
- Although Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was living in Vṛndāvana, the inhabitants considered Him an ordinary human being or sannyāsī.
- They mistook the fisherman for Kṛṣṇa and the torchlight for bright jewels on Kālīya’s hoods. Every human being is prone to such mistakes.
Try this today
Today, reconsider one judgment about a person that you made from appearances alone.
Ask yourself
How can remembering my tendency to make mistakes help me judge appearances more humbly?
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.