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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 17.156

সেই শাস্ত্রে কহে,—প্রবৃত্তি–নিবৃত্তি–মার্গ–ভেদ ।

নিবৃত্তি–মার্গে জীবমাত্ৰ–বধের নিষেধ ॥ ১৫৬ ॥

sei śāstre kahe, — pravṛtti-nivṛtti-mārga-bheda

nivṛtti-mārge jīva-mātra-vadhera niṣedha

Translation

“According to the Koran, there are two ways of advancement — through increasing the propensity to enjoy, and through decreasing the propensity to enjoy. On the path of decreasing attachment [nivṛtti-mārga], the killing of animals is prohibited.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Decreasing Attachment Means Avoiding Animal Killing

  1. 1

    The translation describes two ways of advancement according to the Koran.

  2. 2

    One way increases the propensity to enjoy; the other decreases it.

  3. 3

    On the path of decreasing attachment, called nivṛtti-mārga, killing animals is prohibited.

How it feels

Public courage and ecstatic joy. The saṅkīrtana movement confronts opposition and moves toward recognition and expansion.

The mood of Ādi 17 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 17: The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Youth

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

Among all the gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī has the highest ecstatic love. When Kṛṣṇa in His form of Nārāyaṇa saw Rādhārāṇī, He could not keep His position as Nārāyaṇa and again assumed the form of Kṛṣṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sei śāstrein the scripture (the Koran)
  2. kaheit is ordered
  3. pravṛttiof attachment
  4. nivṛttiof detachment
  5. mārgaways
  6. bhedadifference
  7. nivṛttiof detachment
  8. mārgeon the path
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could decreasing your desire for enjoyment help you avoid harming animals?

Practice

Choose a meal today that does not involve killing animals.

Live this todayDecreasing Attachment Means Avoiding Animal KillingThis 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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