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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 12.51

মন দুষ্ট হইলে নহে কৃষ্ণের স্মরণ ।

কৃষ্ণস্মৃতি বিনু হয় নিষ্ফল জীবন ॥ ৫১ ॥

mana duṣṭa ha-ile nahe kṛṣṇera smaraṇa

kṛṣṇa-smṛti vinu haya niṣphala jīvana

Translation

“When one’s mind is polluted, it is very difficult to remember Kṛṣṇa, and when remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa is hampered, one’s life is unproductive.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Keep the Mind Ready to Remember Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    When the mind is polluted, remembering Kṛṣṇa becomes very difficult.

  2. 2

    When remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa is hampered, one’s life becomes unproductive.

  3. 3

    A devotee should remain alert and keep the mind in a hopeful state so that Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa can always be remembered. The śāstras teach that one should always remember Lord Viṣṇu.

Key points from the purport
  • A devotee should always be alert, keeping his mind in a sanguine state so that he can always remember Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
  • The śāstras state, smartavyaḥ satataṁ viṣṇuḥ: in devotional life one should always remember Lord Viṣṇu.
  • In the Second Canto, first chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvāmī advised Parīkṣit Mahārāja:

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
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. manamind
  2. duṣṭapolluted
  3. ha-ilebecoming
  4. naheis not possible
  5. kṛṣṇeraof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  6. smaraṇaremembrance
  7. kṛṣṇa-smṛtiremembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa
  8. vinuwithout
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What is making it difficult for me to remember Kṛṣṇa today?

Practice

Pause for one quiet minute today and consciously remember Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayKeep the Mind Ready to Remember KṛṣṇaThis 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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