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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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Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

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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 11.112Madhya 11.114

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 11.113

ঈশ্বরের পরোক্ষ আজ্ঞা — ক্ষৌর, উপোষণ ।

প্রভুর সাক্ষাৎ আজ্ঞা — প্রসাদ-ভোজন ॥ ১১৩ ॥

īśvarera parokṣa ājñā — kṣaura, upoṣaṇa

prabhura sākṣāt ājñā — prasāda-bhojana

Translation

“The scriptural injunctions for shaving and fasting are indirect orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, when there is a direct order from the Lord to take prasādam, naturally the devotees take prasādam as their first duty.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Direct Order Comes First

  1. 1

    The scriptural injunctions for shaving and fasting are indirect orders of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Here, the Lord gives a direct order to take prasādam.

  3. 3

    The devotees therefore naturally accept taking prasādam as their first duty.

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:

After Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had explained to the King why the devotees had apparently violated the scriptural injunctions for visiting a place of pilgrimage, the King arranged residential quarters for all the devotees and saw to their prasādam. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu talked very happily with Vāsudeva Datta and other devotees.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 11
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. īśvareraof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  2. parokṣaindirect
  3. ājñāorder
  4. kṣaurashaving
  5. upoṣaṇafasting
  6. prabhuraof the Lord
  7. sākṣātdirect
  8. ājñāorder
  9. prasāda-bhojanato take the prasādam
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the distinction between direct and indirect orders explain the devotees’ first duty here?

Practice

Reread the verse and identify the direct order that explains why the devotees took prasādam first.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Direct Order Comes FirstThis 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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