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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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Antya-līlā · 20 chapters

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 6.237

অমানী মানদ হঞা কৃষ্ণনাম সদা ল’বে ।

ব্রজে রাধাকৃষ্ণ-সেবা মানসে করিবে ॥ ২৩৭ ॥

amānī mānada hañā kṛṣṇa-nāma sadā la’be

vraje rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sevā mānase karibe

Translation

“Do not expect honor, but offer all respect to others. Always chant the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and within your mind render service to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Respect others, chant, and serve inwardly

  1. 1

    Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains that talk about entangling family life is called grāmya-kathā. A person in the renounced order should neither hear nor speak about such subjects, nor eat palatable dishes.

  2. 2

    One should offer all respect to others without expecting respect for oneself.

  3. 3

    In this way, one should always chant the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa and think of how to serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya that when a man and woman are married, they beget children and are thus entangled in family life.
  • He should show all respect to others, but should not expect respect for himself.
  • In this way, one should chant the holy name of the Lord and think of how to serve Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana.

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

Longing fulfilled. Raghunātha’s sustained desire for the Lord culminates in arrival, shelter, and renunciation.

The mood of Antya 6 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 6: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī

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

Therefore another name for Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī is Svarūpera Raghu, or the Raghunātha of Svarūpa Dāmodara. For five days Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī took prasādam at the temple, but later he would stand at the Siṁha-dvāra gate and eat only whatever he could gather by alms.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 6
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. amānīnot expecting any respect
  2. māna-daoffering respect to others
  3. hañābecoming
  4. kṛṣṇa-nāmathe holy name of the Lord
  5. sadāalways
  6. la’beyou should chant
  7. vrajein Vṛndāvana
  8. rādhā-kṛṣṇa-sevāservice to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa
  9. mānasewithin the mind
  10. karibeyou should do
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”

  • 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”, “serve”

  • Rādhā-bhāva · The confidential inner purpose

    The Lord’s desire to taste the love and perspective of Śrī Rādhā, illuminated by later ecstatic pastimes. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “rādhā”

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

How does expecting respect for myself affect my attention to chanting and service?

Practice

Offer someone respect without seeking recognition, then take a quiet moment to chant Lord Kṛṣṇa’s holy name.

Live this todayRespect others, chant, and serve inwardlyThis 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 6.237? Get an answer from the verses themselves.