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

Madhya-līlā · 25 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 Madhya 11.140

ছোট হঞা মুকুন্দ এবে হৈল আমার জ্যেষ্ঠ ।

তোমার কৃপাপাত্র তাতে সর্বগুণে শ্রেষ্ঠ ॥ ১৪০ ॥

choṭa hañā mukunda ebe haila āmāra jyeṣṭha

tomāra kṛpā-pātra tāte sarva-guṇe śreṣṭha

Translation

Thus Vāsudeva Datta admitted his inferiority to Mukunda, his younger brother. “Although Mukunda is my junior,” he said, “he first received Your favor. Consequently he became transcendentally senior to me. Besides that, You very much favored Mukunda. Thus he is superior in all good qualities.”

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.

Spiritual Seniority Comes Through the Lord’s Favor

  1. 1

    Vāsudeva Datta humbly acknowledged the superiority of Mukunda, his younger brother.

  2. 2

    Although younger in age, Mukunda had received the Lord’s favor first. Vāsudeva therefore regarded him as transcendentally senior.

  3. 3

    Vāsudeva praised Mukunda as superior in all good qualities because the Lord had greatly favored him.

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:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu talked very happily with Vāsudeva Datta and other devotees. Haridāsa Ṭhākura also came, and due to his humble and submissive attitude, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him a nice solitary place near the temple.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 11
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. choṭa hañābeing junior
  2. mukundaMukunda
  3. ebenow
  4. hailahas become
  5. āmāramy
  6. jyeṣṭhasenior
  7. tomāraYour
  8. kṛpā-pātrafavorite
3

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: “favor”

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

Can I sincerely appreciate the good qualities of someone younger than me?

Practice

Today, acknowledge one good quality in someone younger than you.

Live this todaySpiritual Seniority Comes Through the Lord’s FavorThis 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 Madhya 11.140? Get an answer from the verses themselves.