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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 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana
Madhya 17.135Madhya 17.137

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 17.136

অতঃ শ্রীকৃষ্ণনামাদি ন ভবেদ্‌গ্রাহ্যমিন্দ্রিয়ৈঃ ।

সেবোন্মুখে হি জিহ্বাদৌ স্বয়মেব স্ফুরত্যদঃ ॥ ১৩৬ ॥

ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi

na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ

sevonmukhe hi jihvādau

svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

Translation

“ ‘Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When a conditioned soul is awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the Lord’s holy name and taste the remnants of the Lord’s food, the tongue is purified, and one gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṇa really is.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serve With the Tongue to Understand Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Material senses cannot appreciate Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes.

  2. 2

    When awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, a conditioned soul serves with the tongue by chanting the Lord’s holy name and tasting the remnants of His food.

  3. 3

    Through this service, the tongue is purified. One gradually comes to understand who Kṛṣṇa really is.

How it feels

Wonder and contagious joy. Even forest animals chant; nature seems drawn into the saṅkīrtana movement.

The mood of Madhya 17 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana

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

The Maharashtriyan brāhmaṇa was very sorry about this, and he brought the news to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, inquiring from Him why the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs did not utter the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. In reply, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that they were offenders and that one should not associate with them.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ataḥtherefore (because Kṛṣṇa’s name, form and qualities are all on the absolute platform)
  2. śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāma-ādiLord Kṛṣṇa’s name, form, qualities, pastimes and so on
  3. nanot
  4. bhavetcan be
  5. grāhyamperceived
  6. indriyaiḥby the blunt material senses
  7. sevā-unmukheto one engaged in His service
  8. hicertainly
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: “chant”, “holy name”, “chanting”

  • 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”, “serves”

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 you use your tongue in service to Kṛṣṇa today?

Practice

Set aside one minute today to chant the Lord’s holy name as an act of service.

5

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

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

Quoted in 112 lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 112 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 todayServe With the Tongue to Understand KṛṣṇaThis 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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