Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 9.224
Religious Dress Can Conceal Cheating
“After visiting Kanyā-kumārī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu came to Āmlitalā, where He saw the Deity of Śrī Rāmacandra. Thereafter He went to a place known as Mallāra-deśa, where a community of Bhaṭṭathāris lived.”
What the purport teaches
- After visiting Kanyā-kumārī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw the Deity of Śrī Rāmacandra at Āmlitalā. He then went to Mallāra-deśa, where a community of Bhaṭṭathāris lived.
- The purport describes the Bhaṭṭathāris as a nomadic community with no fixed residence. They outwardly wore the dress of sannyāsīs, but their actual business was stealing and cheating.
- The purport describes how they lured and cheated women and kept them within their community.
Try this today
Write one reminder today: judge trustworthiness by conduct, not religious dress alone.
Ask yourself
Why is outward religious dress alone not enough to establish someone’s trustworthiness?
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.