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

1234567891011121314151617181920
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 ›
Antya-līlā · Chapter 5: How Pradyumna Miśra Received Instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya
Antya 5.84Antya 5.86

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 5.85

‘ভক্তি’, ‘প্রেম’, ‘তত্ত্ব’ কহে রায়ে করি’ ‘বক্তা’ ।

আপনি প্রদ্যুম্নমিশ্র-সহ হয় ‘শ্রোতা’ ॥ ৮৫ ॥

‘bhakti’, ‘prema’, ‘tattva’ kahe rāye kari’ ‘vaktā’

āpani pradyumna-miśra-saha haya ‘śrotā’

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu preached about devotional service, ecstatic love and the Absolute Truth by making Rāmānanda Rāya, a gṛhastha born in a low family, the speaker. Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself, the exalted brāhmaṇa-sannyāsī, and Pradyumna Miśra, the purified brāhmaṇa, both became the hearers of Rāmānanda Rāya.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Spiritual Qualification Matters More Than Birth

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu made Rāmānanda Rāya the speaker on devotional service, ecstatic love and the Absolute Truth. He Himself and Pradyumna Miśra became the hearers.

  2. 2

    Although Rāmānanda Rāya was a householder born in a śūdra family, he could teach these exalted personalities. This cut down the pride of those who claimed spiritual authority by birth or renounced status.

  3. 3

    Anyone who knows the science of Kṛṣṇa and is fully qualified in spiritual life can become jagad-guru, the spiritual master of the entire world. Simply advertising oneself as jagad-guru does not give that qualification.

Key points from the purport
  • These highly exalted brāhmaṇas think that unless one is born in a brāhmaṇa family, one cannot become a spiritual master and teach the Absolute Truth.
  • To cut down the pride of these birthright brāhmaṇas and Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu proved that a person like Rāmānanda Rāya, although born in a śūdra family and situated in the gṛhastha-āśrama, can become the spiritual master of such exalted personalities as Himself and Pradyumna Miśra.
  • Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally took lessons from Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya and also sent Pradyumna Miśra, an exalted brāhmaṇa, to take lessons from him.

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

Humility and discernment. The Lord directs a seeker to Rāmānanda and clarifies genuine spiritual qualification.

The mood of Antya 5 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 5: How Pradyumna Miśra Received Instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya

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

Then Pradyumna Miśra went to see Rāmānanda Rāya again to hear about the transcendental truth from him. A brāhmaṇa from Bengal composed a drama about the activities of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and went to Jagannātha Purī to show it to the associates of the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 5
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. bhaktidevotional service
  2. premaecstatic love
  3. tattvatruth
  4. kaheHe says
  5. rāyeRāmānanda Rāya
  6. kari’by making
  7. vaktāthe speaker
  8. āpaniHimself
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “ecstatic love”

  • 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

Do I value knowledge of Kṛṣṇa and spiritual steadiness more than titles and family background?

Practice

Write down the two qualifications emphasized here: knowing the science of Kṛṣṇa and being firmly fixed in spiritual life.

Live this todaySpiritual Qualification Matters More Than BirthThis 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 5.85? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
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