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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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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 8: The Author Receives the Orders of Kṛṣṇa and Guru
Ādi 8.28Ādi 8.31

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Ādi 8.29-30

হেন কৃষ্ণনাম যদি লয় বহুবার ।

তবু যদি প্রেম নহে, নহে অশ্রুধার ॥ ২৯ ॥

তবে জানি, অপরাধ তাহাতে প্রচুর ।

কৃষ্ণনাম–বীজ তাহে না করে অঙ্কুর ॥ ৩০ ॥

hena kṛṣṇa-nāma yadi laya bahu-bāra

tabu yadi prema nahe, nahe aśrudhāra

Translation

If one chants the exalted holy name of the Lord again and again and yet his love for the Supreme Lord does not develop and tears do not appear in his eyes, it is evident that because of his offenses in chanting, the seed of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa does not sprout.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Avoid Offenses So the Name Can Sprout

  1. 1

    One may chant the Lord’s exalted holy name again and again without developing love for Him.

  2. 2

    Offenses in chanting prevent the seed of Kṛṣṇa’s holy name from sprouting.

  3. 3

    Offensive chanting does not bring the desired result. Therefore one should carefully avoid offenses.

Key points from the purport
  • If one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra offensively, one does not achieve the desired result.
  • Therefore one should carefully avoid the offenses, which have already been described in connection with verse 24.

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

Vulnerability and obedience. Kavirāja writes by mercy and command rather than personal self-assertion.

The mood of Ādi 8 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 8: The Author Receives the Orders of Kṛṣṇa and Guru

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

In this chapter the glories of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda are described, and it is also stated that one who commits offenses in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra does not achieve love of Godhead, even after chanting for many years. In this connection, Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura warns against artificial displays of the bodily symptoms called aṣṭa-sāttvika-vikāra.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 8
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. henasuch
  2. kṛṣṇa-nāmaholy name of the Lord
  3. yadiif
  4. layaone takes
  5. bahu-bāraagain and again
  6. tabustill
  7. yadiif
  8. premalove of Godhead
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: “chants”, “holy name”, “chant”

  • Prema · Love of Godhead

    The culminating devotional purpose that unites the narration: bestowed, cultivated, taught, celebrated, and tasted. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “love”

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

Am I giving care to avoiding offenses, as well as to repeating the holy name?

Practice

Before chanting today, pause and renew your intention to carefully avoid offenses to the holy name.

Live this todayAvoid Offenses So the Name Can SproutThis 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 8.29-30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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