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Study a Verse

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

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 19.72

অহোবত শ্বপচোঽতো গরীয়ান্‌

যজ্জিহ্বাগ্রে বর্ততে নাম তুভ্যম্‌ ।

তেপুস্তপস্তে জুহুবুঃ সস্নুরার্যা

ব্রহ্মানূচুর্নাম গৃণন্তি যে তে ॥ ৭২ ॥

aho bata śva-paco ’to garīyān

yaj-jihvāgre vartate nāma tubhyam

tepus tapas te juhuvuḥ sasnur āryā

brahmānūcur nāma gṛṇanti ye te

Translation

Vallabha Bhaṭṭācārya then recited the following verse: “ ‘My dear Lord, one who always keeps Your holy name on his tongue becomes greater than an initiated brāhmaṇa. Although he may be born in a family of dog-eaters and may therefore, by material calculation, be the lowest among men, he is still glorious. This is the wonderful effect of chanting the holy name of the Lord. It is therefore concluded that one who chants the holy name of the Lord should be understood to have performed all kinds of austerities and great sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas. He has already taken his bath in all the holy places of pilgrimage, he has studied all the Vedas, and he is actually an Āryan.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Wonderful Effect of the Holy Name

  1. 1

    One who always keeps the Lord’s holy name on the tongue becomes greater than an initiated brāhmaṇa. Even birth considered lowest by material calculation cannot diminish that person’s glory.

  2. 2

    One who chants the holy name should be understood to have performed all kinds of austerities and great sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas.

  3. 3

    Such a chanter is understood to have bathed in all holy places of pilgrimage and studied all the Vedas, and is actually an Āryan. This is the wonderful effect of chanting the Lord’s holy name.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 19.72 quotesSB 3.33.7

This verse is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.33.7).

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:

Giving this excuse, he sat at home and studied Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with learned brāhmaṇa scholars. The Nawab Hussain Shah first sent his personal physician to see what the real facts were; then he personally came to see why Sanātana was not attending to official business.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 19
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. aho batahow wonderful it is
  2. śva-pacaḥdog-eaters
  3. ataḥthan the initiated brāhmaṇa
  4. garīyānmore glorious
  5. yatof whom
  6. jihvā-agreon the tongue
  7. vartateremains
  8. nāmathe holy name
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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: “chanting”, “holy name”, “chants”

  • 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”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this praise of the holy name deepen my appreciation for chanting?

Practice

Chant the Lord’s holy name today while recalling one of the glories described in this verse.

Live this todayThe Wonderful Effect of the Holy NameThis 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 19.72? Get an answer from the verses themselves.