Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 23.29
Unbreakable Hope Despite Having No Qualifications
“ ‘O my Lord, I do not have any love for You, nor am I qualified for discharging devotional service by chanting and hearing. Nor do I possess the mystic power of a Vaiṣṇava, knowledge or pious activities. Nor do I belong to a very high-caste family. On the whole, I do not possess anything. Still, O beloved of the gopīs, because You bestow Your mercy on the most fallen, I have an unbreakable hope that is constantly in my heart. That hope is always giving me pain.’
What the purport teaches
- The speaker feels no love for the Lord and no qualification for devotional service through chanting and hearing.
- The speaker claims neither mystic power, knowledge, pious activities nor birth in a very high-caste family.
- Because the beloved of the gopīs bestows mercy on the most fallen, unbreakable hope remains in the speaker’s heart. This constant hope also gives pain.
Try this today
Offer a short prayer acknowledging one limitation and expressing hope in the Lord’s mercy.
Ask yourself
What does this prayer teach you about hoping for mercy when you feel unqualified?
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.