Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 2.93
Honor Devotees and Transmit Teachings Faithfully
“I worship herewith the lotus feet of all kinds of devotees, both advanced and neophyte. I request all of them to be satisfied with me. I am faultless because I have written herein whatever I have understood from Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī and Rūpa and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmīs. I have neither added to nor subtracted from their version.”
What the purport teaches
- The purport names three kinds of devotees: experts in devotional service, those engaged in devotional service, and initiated devotees engaged in chanting. The author begs the mercy of them all and asks them to be pleased with him.
- With great humility, he begs pardon from neophyte devotees who might think he has made errors. Skill in argument and imitation of a smārta-brāhmaṇa do not mean advanced devotional understanding.
- Dedicated to the lotus feet of the previous ācāryas, he writes only what he has learned in the disciplic succession. He has no desire to add anything or subtract anything.
Try this today
Write one sentence summarizing this verse, then check that you have neither added to nor omitted its central teaching.
Ask yourself
When I share a devotional teaching, am I careful to preserve what I have actually learned?
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.