Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 9.174
Recognizing Uncertainty About a Sacred Place
“Thus Paramānanda Purī started for Jagannātha Purī, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu began walking toward Śrī Śaila.”
What the purport teaches
- Paramānanda Purī started for Jagannātha Purī, while Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu walked toward Śrī Śaila.
- Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura remarks that it is not clearly understood which Śrī Śaila Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī indicates.
- The purport distinguishes this place from Śrī Śaila in the district of Dhārwād, south of Belgaum, where the Mallikārjuna temple stands. It is said that Lord Śiva lived on that hill with Devī, and Lord Brahmā lived there with all the demigods.
Try this today
Write down that the identity of Śrī Śaila here is uncertain, without trying to settle it.
Ask yourself
Can you accept that a detail about a sacred place may remain uncertain?
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.