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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 · Texts Madhya 17.48-49

কেহ যদি তাঁর মুখে শুনে কৃষ্ণনাম ।

তাঁর মুখে আন শুনে তাঁর মুখে আন ॥ ৪৮ ॥

keha yadi tāṅra mukhe śune kṛṣṇa-nāma

tāṅra mukhe āna śune tāṅra mukhe āna

Translation

When someone heard the chanting of the holy name from the mouth of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and someone else heard this chanting from that second person, and someone again heard this chanting from the third person, everyone in all countries became a Vaiṣṇava through such disciplic succession. Thus everyone chanted the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and Hari, and they danced, cried and smiled.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Chanting Carries Purification From Person to Person

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and no one can claim His potency. Hearing the holy name directly from Him purifies the hearer.

  2. 2

    When another person hears from that purified devotee, he also is purified. In this paramparā system, one person after another becomes a Vaiṣṇava.

  3. 3

    A pure devotee’s chanting can purify hundreds and thousands of people when it is offenseless and without material motives. Through this succession, people chanted the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and Hari, dancing, crying and smiling.

Key points from the purport
  • The transcendental potency of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is herein explained.
  • First, the holy name is vibrated by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
  • When a pure devotee chants offenselessly, another person will become a Vaiṣṇava, and from him another Vaiṣṇava will emerge.

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:

North of Kaṭaka, He penetrated a dense forest and came upon many tigers and elephants, whom He engaged in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Whenever the Lord had a chance to visit a village, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya would beg alms and acquire some rice and vegetables.
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. kehasomeone
  2. yadiwhen
  3. tāṅra mukhefrom His mouth
  4. śunehears
  5. kṛṣṇa-nāmachanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra
  6. tāṅra mukhefrom the mouth of such chanters
  7. āna śunesomeone else hears
  8. tāṅra mukheand from his mouth
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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: “chanting”, “holy name”, “hari”

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “pure devotee”

  • Vipralambha · Love in separation

    Separation that intensifies remembrance and longing; especially central to the confidential pastimes at Purī. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “crying”

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

What material motive could you set aside as you approach chanting today?

Practice

Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra today with the intention to avoid offenses and seek no material reward.

Live this todayPure Chanting Carries Purification From Person to PersonThis 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 17.48-49? Get an answer from the verses themselves.