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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 16.238Madhya 16.240

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 16.239

অন্তরে নিষ্ঠা কর, বাহ্যে লোকব্যবহার ।

অচিরাৎ কৃষ্ণ তোমায় করিবে উদ্ধার ॥ ২৩৯ ॥

antare niṣṭhā kara, bāhye loka-vyavahāra

acirāt kṛṣṇa tomāya karibe uddhāra

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “Within your heart you should keep yourself very faithful, but externally you may behave like an ordinary man. Thus Kṛṣṇa will soon be very pleased and deliver you from the clutches of māyā.

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.

Keep Faith Within the Heart

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed Raghunātha dāsa to remain very faithful within his heart.

  2. 2

    Externally, he could behave like an ordinary man.

  3. 3

    The Lord assured him that Kṛṣṇa would soon be pleased and deliver him from the clutches of māyā.

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:

After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu crossed the border of Orissa state, and He arrived at Pānihāṭi by boat. Thereafter He visited the house of Rāghava Paṇḍita, and from there He went to Kumārahaṭṭa and eventually to Kuliyā, where He excused many offenders.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 16
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. antarewithin the heart
  2. niṣṭhā karakeep strong faith
  3. bāhyeexternally
  4. loka-vyavahārabehavior like ordinary men
  5. acirātvery soon
  6. kṛṣṇaLord Kṛṣṇa
  7. tomāyaunto you
  8. karibewill do
  9. uddhāraliberation
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: “deliver”

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 keep my heart faithful while carrying out ordinary activities?

Practice

Before one ordinary task today, quietly renew your faith in Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayKeep Faith Within the HeartThis 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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