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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
  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 ›
Ādi-līlā · Chapter 4: The Confidential Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Ādi 4.20Ādi 4.23

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Ādi 4.21-22

মোর পুত্র, মোর সখা, মোর প্রাণপতি ।

এইভাবে যেই মোরে করে শুদ্ধভক্তি ॥ ২১ ॥

আপনাকে বড় মানে, আমারে সম–হীন ।

সেই ভাবে হই আমি তাহার অধীন ॥ ২২ ॥

mora putra, mora sakhā, mora prāṇa-pati

ei-bhāve yei more kare śuddha-bhakti

Translation

“If one cherishes pure loving devotion to Me, thinking of Me as his son, his friend or his beloved, regarding himself as great and considering Me his equal or inferior, I become subordinate to him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Loving Devotion Makes the Lord Subordinate

  1. 1

    The Caitanya-caritāmṛta describes bhakti as ordinary devotional service, śuddha-bhakti as pure devotional service and viddha-bhakti as mixed devotional service.

  2. 2

    In pure loving devotion, a devotee may think of the Lord as his son, friend or beloved. The devotee considers the Lord his equal or inferior.

  3. 3

    The Lord becomes subordinate to a devotee who cherishes such pure loving devotion.

Key points from the purport
  • In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta three kinds of devotional service are described — namely, bhakti (ordinary devotional service), śuddha-bhakti (pure devotional service) and viddha-bhakti (mixed devotional 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.

How it feels

Profound longing. Kṛṣṇa desires to taste Rādhā’s love, His own sweetness as She sees it, and Her joy.

The mood of Ādi 4 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 4: The Confidential Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

The subject of those loving transactions is the Lord Himself, and Rādhārāṇī is the object. Thus the subject, the Lord, wanted to relish the loving mellow in the position of the object, Rādhārāṇī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 4
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. moramy
  2. putrason
  3. moramy
  4. sakhāfriend
  5. moramy
  6. prāṇa-patilord of life
  7. ei bhāvein this way
  8. yeithose who
3

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”

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

What strikes me about the Lord's willingness to become subordinate to pure love?

Practice

Write down the three kinds of devotional service and their meanings, then reread the description of pure loving devotion.

Live this todayPure Loving Devotion Makes the Lord SubordinateThis 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 4.21-22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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