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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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 17.186

তর্কোঽপ্রতিষ্ঠঃ শ্রুতয়ো বিভিন্না

নাসাবৃষির্যস্য মতং ন ভিন্নম্‌ ।

ধর্মস্য তত্ত্বং নিহিতং গুহায়াং

মহাজনো যেন গতঃ স পন্থাঃ ॥ ১৮৬ ॥

tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā

nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam

dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ

mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “ ‘Dry arguments are inconclusive. A great personality whose opinion does not differ from others is not considered a great sage. Simply by studying the Vedas, which are variegated, one cannot come to the right path by which religious principles are understood. The solid truth of religious principles is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated, self-realized person. Consequently, as the śāstras confirm, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocate.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Follow the Path of the Mahājanas

  1. 1

    Dry arguments are inconclusive, and great sages are known for differing opinions.

  2. 2

    Simply studying the varied Vedas does not reveal the right path for understanding religious principles. Their solid truth is hidden in the heart of an unadulterated, self-realized person.

  3. 3

    The śāstras therefore confirm that one should accept the progressive path advocated by the mahājanas.

Key points from the purport
  • This is a verse spoken by Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja in the Mahābhārata, Vana-pārva (313.117).

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

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:

Thereafter the Lord visited the twelve forests of Vṛndāvana and was filled with great ecstatic love. As He toured the Vṛndāvana forests, He heard the chirping of parrots and other birds.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 17
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. tarkaḥdry argument
  2. apratiṣṭhaḥnot fixed
  3. śrutayaḥVedas
  4. vibhinnāḥpossessing different departments
  5. nanot
  6. asauthat
  7. ṛṣiḥgreat sage
  8. yasyawhose
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I seek guidance from self-realized persons, or rely only on argument and study?

Practice

Reread this teaching and write down its instruction to follow the path advocated by the mahājanas.

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Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

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

Quoted in 116 lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 116 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 todayFollow the Path of the MahājanasThis 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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