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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 18: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana
Madhya 18.120Madhya 18.123

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Madhya 18.121-122

স্ত্রী-বাল-বৃদ্ধ, আর ‘চণ্ডাল’, ‘যবন’ ।

যেই তোমার একবার পায় দরশন ॥ ১২১ ॥

strī-bāla-vṛddha, āra ‘caṇḍāla’ ‘yavana’

yei tomāra eka-bāra pāya daraśana

Translation

“If they see You just once, even women, children, old men, meat-eaters and members of the lowest caste immediately chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, dance like madmen and become spiritual masters capable of delivering the whole world.

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.

One Sight Awakens Chanting and Spiritual Power

  1. 1

    Seeing the Lord just once moves people to chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa and dance like madmen.

  2. 2

    This transformation reaches women, children, old men, meat-eaters and members of the lowest caste.

  3. 3

    They become spiritual masters capable of delivering the whole world.

How it feels

Overwhelmed recognition. Seeing the places of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes evokes extraordinary remembrance and ecstasy.

The mood of Madhya 18 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 18: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana

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

Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya decided to take Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Prayāga after visiting the holy place known as Soro-kṣetra. While stopping near a village on the way to Prayāga, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fainted in ecstatic love.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 18
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. strīwomen
  2. bālachildren
  3. vṛddhaold men
  4. āraand
  5. caṇḍālathe lowest of men
  6. yavanapersons who eat meat
  7. yeianyone who
  8. tomāraYour
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”

  • Dainya & humility · Making room for grace

    The humility expressed by the author, devotees, transformed scholars, renunciants, and the Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “lowest”

  • 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: “delivering”

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 does this description challenge any limits I place on another person's spiritual potential?

Practice

Chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa today while remembering that the people described here all became capable of delivering others.

Live this todayOne Sight Awakens Chanting and Spiritual PowerThis 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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