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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 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth
Madhya 20.334Madhya 20.336

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.335

কৃষ্ণ-‘ধ্যান’ করে লোক জ্ঞান-অধিকারী ।

ত্রেতার ধর্ম ‘যজ্ঞ’ করায় ‘রক্ত’-বর্ণ ধরি’ ॥ ৩৩৫ ॥

kṛṣṇa-‘dhyāna’ kare loka jñāna-adhikārī

tretāra dharma ‘yajña’ karāya ‘rakta’-varṇa dhari’

Translation

“In Satya-yuga the people were generally advanced in spiritual knowledge and could meditate upon Kṛṣṇa very easily. The people’s occupational duty in Tretā-yuga was to perform great sacrifices. This was induced by the Personality of Godhead in His reddish incarnation.

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.

Spiritual Duties in Satya-yuga and Tretā-yuga

  1. 1

    In Satya-yuga, people were generally advanced in spiritual knowledge and could easily meditate upon Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    In Tretā-yuga, people’s occupational duty was to perform great sacrifices.

  3. 3

    The Personality of Godhead, in His reddish incarnation, encouraged people to perform these sacrifices.

How it feels

Humility and restored identity. A seeker relinquishes status, asks fundamental questions, and receives sambandha knowledge.

The mood of Madhya 20 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth

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

Thus the Lord described the many forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He also described the incarnations of God within the material world, incarnations such as the puruṣa-avatāras, manvantara-avatāras, guṇa-avatāras and śaktyāveśa-avatāras.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kṛṣṇa-dhyānameditation upon Kṛṣṇa
  2. kareperform
  3. lokathe people
  4. jñāna-adhikārīwho are advanced in spiritual knowledge
  5. tretāraof Tretā-yuga
  6. dharmathe occupational duty
  7. yajñaperformance of sacrifices
  8. karāyainduces
  9. rakta-varṇa dhari’assuming a reddish color
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the ease of meditation in Satya-yuga suggest about the value of spiritual knowledge?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute remembering Kṛṣṇa and reflecting on the value of spiritual knowledge.

4

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

2 lectures given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todaySpiritual Duties in Satya-yuga and Tretā-yugaThis 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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