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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 ›
Madhya-līlā · Chapter 11: The Beḍā-kīrtana Pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Madhya 11.111Madhya 11.113

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 11.112

ভট্ট কহে, — তুমি যেই কহ, সেই বিধি-ধর্ম ।

এই রাগমার্গে আছে সূক্ষ্মধর্ম-মর্ম ॥ ১১২ ॥

bhaṭṭa kahe, — tumi yei kaha, sei vidhi-dharma

ei rāga-mārge āche sūkṣma-dharma-marma

Translation

The Bhaṭṭācārya told the King, “What you have said is right according to the regulative principles governing the visiting of holy places, but there is another path, which is the path of spontaneous love. According to those principles, there are subtle intricacies involved in the execution of religious principles.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pilgrimage Regulations and the Path of Love

  1. 1

    The Bhaṭṭācārya affirms the King’s understanding of pilgrimage regulations, while explaining that there is also a path of spontaneous love. Religious principles involve subtle intricacies.

  2. 2

    The Vedic regulations prescribe complete celibacy before entering a holy place. On entering, one should fast for the day, shave the head clean and bathe in a nearby river or ocean.

  3. 3

    These methods are adopted to neutralize the effects of sinful activities. The purport explains that visitors leave the reactions of their sinful lives at holy places, which consequently become overloaded.

Key points from the purport
  • According to the Vedic regulative principles, one has to be celibate before entering a holy place of pilgrimage.
  • The regulative principles therefore enjoin that before a common man goes to a holy place of pilgrimage, he should observe complete celibacy.
  • Those who go to holy places of pilgrimage actually unload the reactions of their sinful lives, and consequently holy places are overloaded with sinful activities left there by visitors.

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

Communal anticipation. Arriving devotees, kīrtana, and longing to meet the Lord converge.

The mood of Madhya 11 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 11: The Beḍā-kīrtana Pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

The King discussed the devotees with Gopīnātha Ācārya, and he mentioned that the devotees were accepting prasādam without observing the regulative principles governing pilgrimages. They accepted prasādam without having shaved, and they neglected to fast in a holy place.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 11
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. bhaṭṭa kahethe Bhaṭṭācārya said
  2. tumi yei kahawhatever you say
  3. sei vidhi-dharmathat is a regulative principle
  4. ei rāga-mārgein this spontaneous love
  5. āchethere are
  6. sūkṣma-dharma-marmasubtle intricacies of the religious system
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: “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

How does understanding the purpose of pilgrimage regulations change the way you view a visit to a holy place?

Practice

Write down the stated purpose of pilgrimage regulations: neutralizing the reactions of sinful activities.

Live this todayPilgrimage Regulations and the Path of LoveThis 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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