Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 19.160
Do Not Use Chanting for Material Profit
“If one does not distinguish between the bhakti creeper and the other creepers, the sprinkling of water is misused because the other creepers are nourished while the bhakti creeper is curtailed.
What the purport teaches
- One must distinguish the bhakti creeper from unwanted creepers. Otherwise, watering nourishes the unwanted growth while the bhakti creeper is curtailed.
- Chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra while committing offenses causes unwanted creepers to grow.
- One should not take advantage of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra for material profit.
Try this today
Before chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra today, examine your motive and set aside any intention to use chanting for material gain.
Ask yourself
Am I approaching chanting as devotional service, or as a means to obtain material profit?
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.