Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 25.278
Regular Reading Nourishes Devotional Life
“Men become strong and stout by eating sufficient grains, but the devotee who simply eats ordinary grains but does not taste the transcendental pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa gradually becomes weak and falls down from the transcendental position. However, if one drinks but a drop of the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, his body and mind begin to bloom, and he begins to laugh, sing and dance.”
What the purport teaches
- Ordinary grains strengthen the body, but devotees also need to taste the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa. Without this nourishment, they gradually weaken and fall from the transcendental position.
- Even a drop of the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes makes the body and mind bloom, bringing laughter, song and dance.
- The purport urges devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to read all the translated books, including Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise, they risk merely eating and sleeping and missing the opportunity for eternal, blissful life.
Try this today
Set aside ten minutes today to read Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā.
Ask yourself
Am I nourishing my devotional life through reading as regularly as I nourish my body?
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.