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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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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 7: Lord Caitanya in Five Features
Ādi 7.71Ādi 7.73

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 7.72

মূর্খ তুমি, তোমার নাহিক বেদান্তাধিকার ।

‘কৃষ্ণমন্ত্র’ ‘জপ’ সদা,—এই মন্ত্রসার ॥ ৭২ ॥

mūrkha tumi, tomāra nāhika vedāntādhikāra

‘kṛṣṇa-mantra’ japa sadā, — ei mantra-sāra

Translation

“ ‘You are a fool,’ he said. ‘You are not qualified to study Vedānta philosophy, and therefore You must always chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. This is the essence of all mantras, or Vedic hymns.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Follow the Instruction to Chant

  1. 1

    One can become perfectly successful in life's mission by acting exactly according to the spiritual master's words.

  2. 2

    Accepting these words is called śrauta-vākya. The disciple should carry out the instructions without deviation and accept them as life and soul.

  3. 3

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu always chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra because His spiritual master ordered Him to do so. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the essence of all Vedic hymns.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja comments in this connection, “One can become perfectly successful in the mission of his life if he acts exactly according to the words he hears from the mouth of his spiritual master.”
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura remarks in this connection that a disciple must accept the words of his spiritual master as his life and soul.
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu here confirms this by saying that since His spiritual master ordered Him only to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, He always chanted the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra according to this direction (‘kṛṣṇa-mantra’ japa sadā, — ei mantra-sāra).

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

Collective delight. The Pañca-tattva gives divine love a relational and communal form.

The mood of Ādi 7 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 7: Lord Caitanya in Five Features

Back to this verse in Ādi 7
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. mūrkha tumiYou are a fool
  2. tomāraYour
  3. nāhikathere is not
  4. vedāntaVedānta philosophy
  5. adhikāraqualification to study
  6. kṛṣṇa-mantrathe hymn of Kṛṣṇa (Hare Kṛṣṇa)
  7. japachant
  8. sadāalways
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chant”, “holy name”, “chanted”

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 would it mean to take the instruction to chant as life and soul?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

5

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayFollow the Instruction to ChantThis 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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