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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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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 11.23

আমি — ছার, যোগ্য নহি তাঁর দরশনে ।

তাঁরে যেই ভজে তাঁর সফল জীবনে ॥ ২৩ ॥

āmi — chāra, yogya nahi tāṅra daraśane

tāṅre yei bhaje tāṅra saphala jīvane

Translation

“Then Mahārāja Pratāparudra very humbly said, ‘I am most fallen and abominable, and I am unfit to receive an interview with the Lord. One’s life is successful if one engages in His service.’

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.

Life Succeeds Through Service to the Lord

  1. 1

    Mahārāja Pratāparudra spoke very humbly.

  2. 2

    He described himself as most fallen and abominable, unfit to receive an interview with the Lord.

  3. 3

    He declared that one’s life is successful if one engages in the Lord’s service.

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:

When Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya tried his best to arrange a meeting between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and King Pratāparudra, the Lord flatly denied his request. At this time Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya returned from his governmental post, and he praised King Pratāparudra highly in Lord Caitanya’s presence.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 11
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. āmiI
  2. chāravery much fallen
  3. yogyafit
  4. nahinot
  5. tāṅraHis
  6. daraśanefor interviewing
  7. tāṅreHim
  8. yeianyone who
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Dainya & humility · Making room for grace

    The humility expressed by the author, devotees, transformed scholars, renunciants, and the Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “fallen”

  • 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

How might seeing service to the Lord as life’s success change your priorities?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today for one act of service to the Lord.

Live this todayLife Succeeds Through Service to the LordThis 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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