1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Antya-līlā · 20 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.

Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Antya-līlā · Chapter 16: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Tastes Nectar from the Lips of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Antya 16.25 Antya 16.27

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 16.26

বিপ্রাদ্দ্বিষড়্গুণযুতাদরবিন্দনাভ- পাদারবিন্দবিমুখাৎ শ্বপচং বরিষ্ঠম্ ।

মন্যে তদর্পিতমনোবচনেহিতার্থ- প্রাণং পুনাতি স কুলং ন তু ভূরিমানঃ ॥ ২৬ ॥

viprād dvi-ṣaḍ-guṇa-yutād aravinda-nābha-

pādāravinda-vimukhāt śva-pacaṁ variṣṭham

manye tad-arpita-mano-vacanehitārtha-

prāṇaṁ punāti sa kulaṁ na tu bhūri-mānaḥ

Translation

“ ‘A person may be born in a brāhmaṇa family and have all twelve brahminical qualities, but if in spite of being qualified he is not devoted to the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, who has a navel shaped like a lotus, he is not as good as a caṇḍāla who has dedicated his mind, words, activities, wealth and life to the service of the Lord. Simply to take birth in a brāhmaṇa family or to have brahminical qualities is not sufficient. One must become a pure devotee of the Lord. If a śva-paca or caṇḍāla is a devotee, he delivers not only himself but his whole family, whereas a brāhmaṇa who is not a devotee but simply has brahminical qualifications cannot even purify himself, what to speak of his family.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotion Surpasses Birth and Qualifications

1
Birth in a brāhmaṇa family and possession of all twelve brahminical qualities are not sufficient. One must become a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
2
A caṇḍāla who dedicates mind, words, activities, wealth and life to the Lord’s service surpasses a qualified brāhmaṇa who lacks devotion.
3
A devotee can deliver both himself and his whole family. Brahminical qualifications without devotion cannot even purify their possessor.

Key points from the purport

This and the following verse are quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.9.10 and 3.33.7).

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Antya 16.26 quotesSB 7.9.10

This and the following verse are quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.9.10 and 3.33.7).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Sweetness amidst longing. Jagannātha’s prasādam awakens intense awareness of Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness.

The mood of Antya 16 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Antya 16: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Tastes Nectar from the Lips of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

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

When the Bengali devotees of the Lord returned to Jagannātha Purī, a gentleman named Kālidāsa, who was an uncle of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, went with them to see Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kālidāsa had tasted the remnants of food of all the Vaiṣṇavas in Bengal, even Jhaḍu Ṭhākura.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Antya 16

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

viprātthan a brāhmaṇa
dvi-ṣaṭ-guṇa-yutātwho is qualified with twelve brahminical qualifications
aravinda-nābhaof Lord Viṣṇu, who has a lotuslike navel
pāda-aravindaunto the lotus feet
vimukhātthan a person bereft of devotion
śva-pacama caṇḍāla, or person accustomed to eating dogs
variṣṭhammore glorified
manyeI think

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life
Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “delivers”, “deliver”
Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association
Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “pure devotee”
Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter
Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “lotus feet”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which part of my life could I more consciously dedicate to Kṛṣṇa’s service?

Practice

Choose one activity today and deliberately offer it as service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayDevotion Surpasses Birth and QualificationsThis 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 Antya 16.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters