Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 25.91
Understand Through Authority and Devotional Service
“Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “I am an ordinary living being, and therefore My knowledge is very insignificant. However, the meaning of the Brahma-sūtra is very grave because its author, Vyāsadeva, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu speaks humbly, calling His knowledge insignificant. He describes the Brahma-sūtra’s meaning as very grave because its author, Vyāsadeva, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.
- One must hear the meaning from the authority, Vyāsadeva himself. Instructed by his spiritual master, Nārada, Vyāsadeva gave Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as his commentary on the Brahma-sūtra.
- The purport explains that Śaṅkarācārya’s altered explanation served the needs of the time and does not blame him or Lord Buddha. Its conclusion is that understanding the Vedānta-sūtra requires studying Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and rendering devotional service.
Try this today
Read a short passage of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam today with the intention of understanding through Vyāsadeva’s explanation.
Ask yourself
How might humility and devotional service shape the way you study?
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.