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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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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 19.174Madhya 19.176

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 19.175

ভুক্তি-মুক্তি আদি-বাঞ্ছা যদি মনে হয় ।

সাধন করিলে প্রেম উৎপন্ন না হয় ॥ ১৭৫ ॥

bhukti-mukti ādi-vāñchā yadi mane haya

sādhana karile prema utpanna nā haya

Translation

“If one is infected with the desire for material enjoyment or material liberation, he cannot rise to the platform of pure loving service unto the Lord, even though he may superficially render devotional service according to the routine regulative principles.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Service Requires Freedom From Selfish Desire

  1. 1

    The desire to enjoy the results of good work, or to escape material entanglement, prevents one from attaining the transcendental mellows of devotional service.

  2. 2

    One must not desire material profit when rendering devotional service.

  3. 3

    Even following all sixty-four regulative principles cannot bring pure devotional service if the heart remains contaminated by these desires.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura mentions that if one maintains within his heart the desire to enjoy the result of good work, or, being embarrassed by the material world, the desire to get out of material entanglement, one will never be able to attain the transcendental mellows of devotional service.
  • In other words, one must not desire material profit when rendering devotional service.
  • Even if one follows all the sixty-four regulative principles, he cannot attain pure devotional service with a contaminated heart.

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

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:

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. The Lord then sent Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī to Vṛndāvana.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 19
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. bhuktimaterial enjoyment
  2. muktito become liberated from material bondage
  3. ādiand so on
  4. vāñchādesires
  5. yadiif
  6. manein the mind
  7. hayaare
  8. sādhana karileeven executing devotional service according to the regulative routine
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “service”

  • Bhāva & rasa · The language of sacred feeling

    Transcendental devotional moods and relationships, discussed explicitly in Rāmānanda’s dialogue and the teachings on prema. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “mellows”

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

Am I seeking material profit or escape through my devotional service?

Practice

Before serving today, examine your motive and set aside one expectation of personal gain.

Live this todayPure Service Requires Freedom From Selfish DesireThis 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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