1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

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 17.60

যাহাঁ বিপ্র নাহি তাহাঁ ‘শূদ্রমহাজন’ ।

আসি’ সবে ভট্টাচার্যে করে নিমন্ত্রণ ॥ ৬০ ॥

yāhāṅ vipra nāhi tāhāṅ ‘śūdra-mahājana’

āsi’ sabe bhaṭṭācārye kare nimantraṇa

Translation

In some villages there were no brāhmaṇas; nonetheless, devotees born in non-brāhmaṇa families came and extended invitations to Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vaiṣṇava Initiation Transcends Family Birth

  1. 1

    Devotees born in non-brāhmaṇa families extended invitations to Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya. The purport calls those raised to brāhmaṇa status by initiation śūdra-mahājana.

  2. 2

    A Vaiṣṇava accepts an invitation from an initiated Vaiṣṇava, whether a brāhmaṇa or a śūdra-mahājana. Brāhmaṇa birth alone is not the basis for accepting an invitation.

  3. 3

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself accepted invitations from śūdra-mahājanas. This confirms that anyone initiated by a Vaiṣṇava mantra can be accepted as a brāhmaṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Actually a sannyāsī or a brāhmaṇa will not accept an invitation extended by a person born in a lower family.
  • A Māyāvādī sannyāsī will accept an invitation only from a brāhmaṇa family, but a Vaiṣṇava does not accept an invitation from a brāhmaṇa if he does not belong to the Vaiṣṇava sect.
  • However, a Vaiṣṇava will accept an invitation from a brāhmaṇa or śūdra-mahājana if that person is an initiated Vaiṣṇava.

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:

Whenever the Lord had a chance to visit a village, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya would beg alms and acquire some rice and vegetables. If there were no village, Balabhadra would cook whatever rice remained and collect some spinach from the forest for the Lord to eat.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. yāhāṅwherever
  2. viprabrāhmaṇa
  3. nāhithere is not
  4. tāhāṅthere
  5. śūdra-mahā-janadevotees born in families other than brāhmaṇa
  6. āsi’coming
  7. sabeall of them
  8. bhaṭṭācāryeto Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya
  9. kare nimantraṇamake invitation
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I give more importance to a devotee’s family birth than to Vaiṣṇava initiation?

Practice

Reflect on one assumption you hold about family background, remembering the spiritual standing given by Vaiṣṇava initiation.

Live this todayVaiṣṇava Initiation Transcends Family BirthThis 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 17.60? Get an answer from the verses themselves.