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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

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How to study this verse, in six steps

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

Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Ādi-līlā · Chapter 10: The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree

Ādi 9.55 Ādi 10.2

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 10.1

শ্রীচৈতন্যপদাম্ভোজ–মধুপেভ্যো নমো নমঃ ।

কথঞ্চিদাশ্রয়াদ্‌ যেষাং শ্বাপি তদ্‌গন্ধভাগ্‌ভবেৎ ॥ ১ ॥

śrī-caitanya-padāmbhoja-

madhupebhyo namo namaḥ

kathañcid āśrayād yeṣāṁ

śvāpi tad-gandha-bhāg bhavet

Translation

Let me repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances unto the beelike devotees who always taste the honey of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. If even a doggish nondevotee somehow takes shelter of such devotees, he enjoys the aroma of the lotus flower.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotee Association Can Deliver Even Animals

1
The devotees always taste the honey of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s lotus feet. Even a nondevotee who takes shelter of them can enjoy the lotus flower’s aroma.
2
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement is so strong that even a doglike nondevotee can gradually become a devotee through a devotee’s association.
3
The dog who followed Śrīla Śivānanda Sena was liberated, as were cats and dogs in Śrīvāsa Ṭhākura’s household. Even animals are delivered through the association of a pure devotee.

Key points from the purport

But Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s saṅkīrtana movement is so strong that even a doglike nondevotee can gradually become a devotee by the association of a devotee of Lord Caitanya.
Śrīla Śivānanda Sena, a great householder devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, attracted a dog on the street while going to Jagannātha Purī.
Cats and dogs and other animals are not expected to become devotees, but in the association of a pure devotee they are also delivered.

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

How it feels

Belonging and gratitude. Many devotees become branches of one living network of devotion.

The mood of Ādi 10 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Ādi 10: The Trunk, Branches and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree

Śrīla Prabhupāda's summary of this chapter:

This chapter describes the branches of the tree named Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Back to this verse in Ādi 10

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

śrī-caitanyaLord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
pada-ambhojathe lotus feet
madhuhoney
pebhyaḥunto those who drink
namaḥrespectful obeisances
namaḥrespectful obeisances
kathañcita little of it
āśrayāttaking shelter of

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter
Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “shelter”, “lotus feet”
Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association
Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “association”, “pure devotee”
Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life
Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “delivered”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this teaching strengthen your hope in the power of devotee association?

Practice

Spend a few minutes today hearing from a devotee of Lord Caitanya.

Live this todayDevotee Association Can Deliver Even AnimalsThis 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.

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