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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 12.40

মুক্তি—শ্রেষ্ঠ করি’ কৈনু বাশিষ্ঠ ব্যাখ্যান ।

ক্রুদ্ধ হঞা প্রভু মোরে কৈল অপমান ॥ ৪০ ॥

mukti — śreṣṭha kari’ kainu vāśiṣṭha vyākhyāna

kruddha hañā prabhu more kaila apamāna

Translation

“Thus I expounded the Yoga-vāśiṣṭha, which considers liberation the ultimate goal of life. For this the Lord became angry at Me and treated Me with apparent disrespect.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Avoid Impersonal Misunderstandings of the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The Yoga-vāśiṣṭha considers liberation the ultimate goal of life. The purport describes it as full of impersonal misunderstandings about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with no touch of Vaiṣṇavism.

  2. 2

    Māyāvādīs greatly favor this book, but the purport says that all Vaiṣṇavas should avoid it.

  3. 3

    Advaita Ācārya Prabhu supported its impersonal statements because He wanted punishment from the Lord. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu became extremely angry and treated Him with apparent disrespect.

Key points from the purport
  • There is a book of the name Yoga-vāśiṣṭha that Māyāvādīs greatly favor because it is full of impersonal misunderstandings regarding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with no touch of Vaiṣṇavism.
  • Factually, all Vaiṣṇavas should avoid such a book, but Advaita Ācārya Prabhu, wanting punishment from the Lord, began to support the impersonal statements of the Yoga-vāśiṣṭha.
  • Thus Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu became extremely angry at Him and seemingly treated Him disrespectfully.

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

Loyalty and discernment. The narrative distinguishes fidelity to the ācārya from deviation.

The mood of Ādi 12 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 12: The Expansions of Advaita Ācārya and Gadādhara Paṇḍita

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

In his early life Gopāla fainted during the cleansing of the Guṇḍicā-mandira at Jagannātha Purī and thus became a recipient of the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The story of Kamalākānta Viśvāsa concerns his borrowing three hundred rupees from Pratāparudra Mahārāja to clear a debt of Advaita Ācārya’s, for which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chastised him when He came to know of it.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 12
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. muktiliberation
  2. śreṣṭhathe topmost
  3. kari’accepting
  4. kainuI did
  5. vāśiṣṭhathe book known as Yoga-vāśiṣṭha
  6. vyākhyānaexplanation
  7. kruddhaangry
  8. hañābecoming
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “favor”

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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Why should Advaita Ācārya Prabhu’s special purpose here not be mistaken for approval of the book’s teachings?

Practice

Write down the distinction between Advaita Ācārya Prabhu’s purpose and the purport’s instruction that Vaiṣṇavas avoid this book.

Live this todayAvoid Impersonal Misunderstandings of the Supreme LordThis 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 12.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.