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Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Ādi-līlā · 17 chapters

How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
  3. 3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
  4. 4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
  5. 5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
  6. 6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.
Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 1.46

আচার্যং মাং বিজানীয়ান্নাবমন্যেত কর্হিচিৎ ।

ন মর্ত্যবুদ্ধ্যাসূয়েত সর্বদেবময়ো গুরুঃ ॥ ৪৬ ॥

ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān

nāvamanyeta karhicit

na martya-buddhyāsūyeta

sarva-deva-mayo guruḥ

Translation

“One should know the ācārya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Respect the Ācārya’s Spiritual Care

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa teaches that one should know the ācārya as Himself and never disrespect or envy him as an ordinary man. The ācārya represents all the demigods.

  2. 2

    The Lord was instructing how a brahmacārī should behave under a spiritual master’s care. The spiritual master is not an enjoyer of facilities offered by disciples.

  3. 3

    The spiritual master is like a parent. Just as a child needs attentive parental care to grow, one needs the spiritual master’s care to rise to transcendental service.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord was specifically instructing how a brahmacārī should behave under the care of a spiritual master.
  • A spiritual master is not an enjoyer of facilities offered by his disciples.
  • Without the attentive service of his parents, a child cannot grow to manhood; similarly, without the care of the spiritual master one cannot rise to the plane of transcendental service.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Ādi 1.46 quotesSB 11.17.27

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.17.27) spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa when He was questioned by Uddhava regarding the four social and spiritual orders of society.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Reverence and gratitude. The narrator takes shelter of the guru-paramparā; receptivity begins with humility.

The mood of Ādi 1 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 1: The Spiritual Masters

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

This edition of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta is presented for the study of sincere scholars who are really seeking the Absolute Truth. It is not the arrogant scholarship of a mental speculator but a sincere effort to serve the order of a superior authority whose service is the life and soul of this humble effort.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 1
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ācāryamthe spiritual master
  2. māmMyself
  3. vijānīyātone should know
  4. na avamanyetaone should never disrespect
  5. karhicitat any time
  6. nanever
  7. martya-buddhyāwith the idea of his being an ordinary man
  8. asūyetaone should be envious
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “service”, “offered”

  • Bhāva & rasa · The language of sacred feeling

    Transcendental devotional moods and relationships, discussed explicitly in Rāmānanda’s dialogue and the teachings on prema. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “parental”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I better appreciate the spiritual master’s care rather than regard him as an ordinary person?

Practice

Write down one way the spiritual master’s care supports growth in transcendental service.

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Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

Quoted in 1 lecture. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 1 lecture

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayRespect the Ācārya’s Spiritual CareThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Ādi 1.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.