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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

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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 13: The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yātrā
Madhya 13.79Madhya 13.81

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 13.80

নাহং বিপ্রো ন চ নরপতির্নাপি বৈশ্যো ন শূদ্রো

নাহং বর্ণী ন চ গৃহপতির্নো বনস্থো যতির্বা ।

কিন্তু প্রোদ্যন্নিখিলপরমানন্দপূর্ণামৃতাব্ধে-

র্গোপীভর্তুঃ পদকমলয়োর্দাসদাসানুদাসঃ ॥ ৮০ ॥

nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro

nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā

kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmṛtābdher

gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ

Translation

“ ‘I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Our Identity Is Service to Kṛṣṇa’s Servants

  1. 1

    This verse comes from the Padyāvalī, an anthology compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. The speaker rejects identification with the four social classes and the four stages of life.

  2. 2

    The speaker identifies only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopīs.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is like an ocean of nectar and is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.

Key points from the purport
  • This is verse 74 from the Padyāvalī, an anthology of verses compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

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

Public ecstasy with inward longing. The festival’s collective joy carries the profound Vraja mood of meeting and separation.

The mood of Madhya 13 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 13: The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yātrā

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

Lord Jagannātha took permission from the goddess of fortune and then started in the car for the Guṇḍicā temple. The road to the temple led along a broad, sandy beach, and on both sides of the road were residential quarters, houses and gardens.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 13
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. ahamI
  3. vipraḥa brāhmaṇa
  4. nanot
  5. caalso
  6. nara-patiḥa king or kṣatriya
  7. nanot
  8. apialso
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “servant”

  • Vraja-smaraṇa · Remembrance of Vṛndāvana

    The remembered sweetness of Vraja that colors Mahāprabhu’s pilgrimage, Ratha-yātrā, and later states of separation. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “gopīs”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

    Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “lotus feet”

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 would remembering myself as a servant of Kṛṣṇa’s servants change my actions today?

Practice

Do one small, helpful task for a devotee today, remembering this identity of service.

5

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

Quoted in 71 lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 71 lectures

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayOur Identity Is Service to Kṛṣṇa’s ServantsThis 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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