Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 5.158
Fixed Devotion Reveals a Deep Pastime
“The pastime of the breaking of the staff is very deep. Only one whose devotion is fixed upon the lotus feet of the two Lords can understand it.”
What the purport teaches
- The breaking of the staff is a very deep pastime. Only one whose devotion is fixed upon the lotus feet of the two Lords can understand it.
- The staff signifies full engagement of mind, speech and body in the Lord’s service. Although in the paramahaṁsa stage, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu followed the regulations to teach full engagement in service through accepting sannyāsa at the end of life.
- Nityānanda Prabhu, His eternal servitor, believed that Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu did not need to carry the staff. He broke it into three pieces to declare that the Lord was above all regulations.
Try this today
Choose one small act of service today and give it your attention, words and physical effort.
Ask yourself
How could your mind, speech and body become more fully engaged in the Lord’s service?
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.