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 19.212Madhya 19.214

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 19.213

শমো মন্নিষ্ঠতা বুদ্ধের্দম ইন্দ্রিয়সংযমঃ ।

তিতিক্ষা দুঃখসংমর্ষো জিহ্বোপস্থজয়ো ধৃতিঃ ॥ ২১৩ ॥

śamo man-niṣṭhatā buddher

dama indriya-saṁyamaḥ

titikṣā duḥkha-sammarṣo

jihvopastha-jayo dhṛtiḥ

Translation

“ ‘The word “śama” or “śānta-rasa” indicates that one is attached to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. “Dama” means controlling the senses and not being deviated from the Lord’s service. endurance of unhappiness is “titikṣā,” and “dhṛti” means controlling the tongue and the genitals.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Control the Senses Through Attachment to Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Śama means attachment to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet, and dama means controlling the senses without departing from His service. Titikṣā means enduring unhappiness.

  2. 2

    Dhṛti means controlling the urges of the tongue, belly and genitals. One should eat to keep the body fit for the Lord’s service, not simply follow the tongue’s demands.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa mercifully gives prasādam, food offered to Him, to help devotees conquer the tongue. Attachment to His lotus feet and eating only prasādam help bring the senses under control.

Key points from the purport
  • Control of the urges of the tongue, the belly and the genitals (which are situated in a straight line) is called dhṛti.
  • Not being able to control the tongue, the conditioned soul eats more than he needs.
  • However, if one is fixed at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he can control the tongue.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 19.213 quotesSB 11.19.36-39

This verse is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.19.36). The conditioned soul under the clutches of māyā, the material energy, is very much agitated by the urges of the tongue and the genitals.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

After this, a brāhmaṇa scholar named Raghupati Upādhyāya arrived and discussed Kṛṣṇa consciousness with the Lord. Kavirāja Gosvāmī then extensively describes the living condition of Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana at Vṛndāvana.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 19
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. śamaḥneutrality
  2. mat-niṣṭhatāattachment for Me
  3. buddheḥof intelligence
  4. damaḥself-control
  5. indriya-saṁyamaḥcontrolling the activities of the senses
  6. titikṣātolerance
  7. duḥkhaof unhappiness
  8. sammarṣaḥendurance
3

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”, “offered”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

    Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “lotus feet”

  • 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: “mercifully”

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 eating to support the Lord’s service or simply following the demands of my tongue?

Practice

At one meal today, eat food offered to Kṛṣṇa and take only what you need.

Live this todayControl the Senses Through Attachment to KṛṣṇaThis 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 19.213? 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