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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 16: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana
Madhya 16.185Madhya 16.187

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 16.186

যন্নামধেয়শ্রবণানুকীর্তনাদ্

যত্প্রহ্বণাদ্ যৎস্মরণাদপি ক্বচিৎ ।

শ্বাদোঽপি সদ্যঃ সবনায় কল্পতে

কুতঃ পুনস্তে ভগবন্নু দর্শনাৎ ॥ ১৮৬ ॥

yan-nāmadheya-śravaṇānukīrtanād

yat-prahvaṇād yat-smaraṇād api kvacit

śvādo ’pi sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate

kutaḥ punas te bhagavan nu darśanāt

Translation

“ ‘To say nothing of the spiritual advancement of persons who see the Supreme Person face to face, even a person born in a family of dog-eaters becomes immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices if he once utters the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead or chants about Him, hears about His pastimes, offers Him obeisances or even remembers Him.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Holy Name Transcends Social Position

  1. 1

    A person’s position does not prevent spiritual advancement. Even someone born in a family of dog-eaters becomes immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices by chanting and hearing the Lord’s holy name.

  2. 2

    The translation also praises chanting about the Lord, hearing His pastimes, offering Him obeisances and remembering Him.

  3. 3

    The purport emphasizes that this eligibility through chanting and hearing is especially true in this Age of Kali.

Key points from the purport
  • According to this verse, it does not matter what position a person holds.
  • One may be the lowest of the low — a caṇḍāla, or dog-eater — but if he takes to chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, he is immediately eligible to perform Vedic sacrifices.
  • This is especially true in this Age of Kali.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 16.186 quotesSB 3.33.6

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.33.6).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Yearning and deferral. Attempts, delays, meetings, and farewells heighten the desire to reach Vraja.

The mood of Madhya 16 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 16: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

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

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu requested Gadādhara Paṇḍita to return to Nīlācala, Jagannātha Purī, but he did not abide by this order. From Kaṭaka (Cuttack), Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu again requested Gadādhara Paṇḍita to return to Nīlācala, and He bade farewell to Rāmānanda Rāya from Bhadraka.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 16
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. yatof whom
  2. nāmadheyaof the name
  3. śravaṇafrom hearing
  4. anukīrtanātand thereafter from chanting
  5. yatto whom
  6. prahvaṇātfrom offering respects
  7. yatof whom
  8. smaraṇātfrom simply remembering
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “chants”, “holy name”, “chanting”

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

Do you let someone’s background limit your confidence in their spiritual possibilities?

Practice

Spend one minute chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord.

Live this todayThe Holy Name Transcends Social PositionThis 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 16.186? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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