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

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
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 19: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
Madhya 19.144Madhya 19.146

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 19.145

তার মধ্যে মনুষ্য-জাতি অতি অল্পতর ।

তার মধ্যে ম্লেচ্ছ, পুলিন্দ, বৌদ্ধ, শবর ॥ ১৪৫ ॥

tāra madhye manuṣya-jāti ati alpatara

tāra madhye mleccha, pulinda, bauddha, śabara

Translation

“Although the living entities known as human beings are very small in quantity, that division may be still further subdivided, for there are many uncultured human beings like mlecchas, pulindas, bauddhas and śabaras.

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.

Human Beings Form a Small Division

  1. 1

    Human beings are a very small portion of all living entities.

  2. 2

    The human division can be subdivided further.

  3. 3

    The translation includes mlecchas, pulindas, bauddhas and śabaras among those it describes as uncultured human beings.

How it feels

Empowerment and hope. The seed of bhakti is received, planted, and watered; intimate realization becomes transmissible.

The mood of Madhya 19 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 19: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī

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

Kavirāja Gosvāmī then extensively describes the living condition of Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana at Vṛndāvana. During the ten days at Prayāga, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was instructed by the Lord, who gave him the basic principles of the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 19
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. tāra madhyeamong all such living entities
  2. manuṣya-jātientities born as human beings
  3. ativery
  4. alpatarasmall in quantity
  5. tāra madhyeamong the small quantity of human beings
  6. mlecchauncivilized men who cannot follow the Vedic principles
  7. pulindaunregulated
  8. bauddhafollowers of Buddhist philosophy
  9. śabarathe lowest of men (the hunter class)
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this description affect your sense of humanity’s place among living entities?

Practice

Reread the translation and note its two levels of division: human beings among living entities, and subdivisions among humans.

Live this todayHuman Beings Form a Small DivisionThis 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 19.145? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters