Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 5.152
Follow Principles Rather Than Imitate
“After hearing the story about how His staff had been broken, the Lord expressed a little sadness and, displaying a bit of anger, began to speak as follows.”
What the purport teaches
- Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu considered Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s acceptance of sannyāsa useless. He therefore relieved the Lord of carrying the staff.
- Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu displayed a little anger to teach sannyāsīs not to give up the staff before attaining the platform of paramahaṁsa.
- Whatever great people do, others follow. The Lord wanted to follow Vedic principles strictly to protect inexperienced neophytes from imitating paramahaṁsas and slackening regulative principles.
Try this today
Choose one regulative principle you already follow and observe it carefully today, without looking for a shortcut.
Ask yourself
Where might I be tempted to imitate an advanced position rather than faithfully follow the principles appropriate for me?
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.