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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 15: The Lord Accepts Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya
Madhya 15.109Madhya 15.111

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 15.110

আকৃষ্টিঃ কৃতচেতসাং সুমনসামুচ্চাটনং চাংহসা-

মাচণ্ডালমমূকলোকসুলভো বশ্যশ্চ মুক্তিশ্রিয়ঃ ।

নো দীক্ষাং ন চ সৎক্রিয়াং ন চ পুরশ্চর্যাং মনাগীক্ষতে

মন্ত্রোঽয়ং রসনাস্পৃগেব ফলতি শ্রীকৃষ্ণ-নামাত্মকঃ ॥ ১১০ ॥

ākṛṣṭiḥ kṛta-cetasāṁ su-manasām uccāṭanaṁ cāṁhasām

ācaṇḍālam amūka-loka-sulabho vaśyaś ca mukti-śriyaḥ

no dīkṣāṁ na ca sat-kriyāṁ na ca puraścaryāṁ manāg īkṣate

mantro ’yaṁ rasanā-spṛg eva phalati śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmātmakaḥ

Translation

“ ‘The holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa is an attractive feature for many saintly, liberal people. It is the annihilator of all sinful reactions and is so powerful that, save for the dumb who cannot chant it, it is readily available to everyone, including the lowest type of man, the caṇḍāla. The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is the controller of the opulence of liberation, and it is identical with Kṛṣṇa. When a person simply chants the holy name with his tongue, immediate effects are produced. Chanting the holy name does not depend on initiation, pious activities or the puraścaryā regulative principles generally observed before initiation. The holy name does not wait for any of these activities. It is self-sufficient.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Holy Name Is Self-Sufficient

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s holy name attracts many saintly, liberal people and destroys all sinful reactions. It is readily available to those who can chant, including a caṇḍāla.

  2. 2

    The holy name is identical with Kṛṣṇa and controls the opulence of liberation. Simply chanting it with the tongue produces immediate effects.

  3. 3

    Chanting does not depend on initiation, pious activities or the regulative principles observed before initiation. The holy name is self-sufficient.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse is found in the Padyāvalī (29), 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

Festive affection and reconciliation. Festivals, reciprocal hospitality, and the deliverance of Amogha show affectionate grace.

The mood of Madhya 15 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 15: The Lord Accepts Prasādam at the House of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

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

The devotees all became soldiers of Lord Rāmacandra, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, in the ecstasy of Hanumān, manifested various transcendentally blissful activities. Thereafter, the Lord and His devotees observed various other ceremonies.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 15
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ākṛṣṭiḥattraction
  2. kṛta-cetasāmof saintly persons
  3. su-manasāmof the most liberal-minded
  4. uccāṭanamannihilator
  5. caalso
  6. aṁhasāmof sinful reactions
  7. ā-caṇḍālameven to the caṇḍālas
  8. amūkaexcept the dumb
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Audārya · Love that moves outward

    The freely offered gift of bhakti and prema, especially through nāma-saṅkīrtana and Mahāprabhu’s compassionate dealings. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “liberal”, “to everyone”

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chant”, “holy name”

  • 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: “lowest”

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 can I place greater trust in the holy name’s self-sufficient power?

Practice

Chant Kṛṣṇa’s holy name today, remembering that it does not wait for preparatory rituals.

Live this todayThe Holy Name Is Self-SufficientThis 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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