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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 19: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
Madhya 19.73Madhya 19.75

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 19.74

শুচিঃ সদ্ভক্তিদীপ্তাগ্নিদগ্ধদুর্জাতিকল্মষঃ ।

শ্বপাকোঽপি বুধৈঃ শ্লাঘ্যো ন বেদজ্ঞোহপি নাস্তিকঃ ॥ ৭৪ ॥

śuciḥ sad-bhakti-dīptāgni-

dagdha-durjāti-kalmaṣaḥ

śva-pāko ’pi budhaiḥ ślāghyo

na veda-jño ’pi nāstikaḥ

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, “ ‘A person who has the pure characteristics of a brāhmaṇa due to devotional service, which is like a blazing fire burning to ashes all the sinful reactions of past lives, is certainly saved from the consequences of sinful acts, such as taking birth in a lower family. Even though he may be born in a family of dog-eaters, he is recognized by learned scholars. But although a person may be a learned scholar in Vedic knowledge, he is not recognized if he is an atheist.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Purifies Beyond Birth

  1. 1

    Devotional service is compared to a blazing fire that burns to ashes the sinful reactions of past lives.

  2. 2

    Learned scholars recognize a person who has the pure characteristics of a brāhmaṇa through devotional service, even if born in a family of dog-eaters.

  3. 3

    Vedic learning alone does not bring such recognition to an atheist. This teaching is quoted from the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, a transcendental literature extracted from the Purāṇas.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse and the next are quoted from the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya (3.11, 12), a transcendental literature extracted from the Purāṇas.

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:

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
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. śuciḥa brāhmaṇa purified internally and externally
  2. sat-bhaktiof devotional service without motives
  3. dīpta-agniby the blazing fire
  4. dagdhaburnt to ashes
  5. durjātisuch as birth in a low family
  6. kalmaṣaḥwhose sinful reactions
  7. śva-pākaḥ apieven though born in a family of dog-eaters
  8. budhaiḥby learned scholars
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”

  • 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: “hari-bhakti-sudhodaya”

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

Do I value devotional qualities more than family background or scholarship?

Practice

Notice one devotional quality in someone today without judging their family background.

Live this todayDevotional Service Purifies Beyond BirthThis 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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