Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 25.78
Do Not Mistake Ordinary People for God
“When Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī supported himself by quoting the verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu immediately protested by uttering the holy name of Lord Viṣṇu. The Lord then presented Himself as a most fallen living entity, and He said, “If someone accepts a fallen conditioned soul as Viṣṇu, Bhagavān, or an incarnation, he commits a great offense.””
What the purport teaches
- Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu protested by uttering the holy name of Lord Viṣṇu and presenting Himself as a most fallen living entity.
- Although He was Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He denied belonging to the Viṣṇu category to teach us a lesson.
- Posing as an incarnation is most offensive. Accepting an ordinary person as an incarnation of God is also a very great offense.
Try this today
Reread the purport today and note its warning against both claiming divinity and accepting an ordinary person as God.
Ask yourself
How does the Lord's example teach me caution about claims of divinity?
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.