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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 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Madhya 20.406Madhya 21.2

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.1

অগত্যেকগতিং নত্বা হীনার্থাধিকসাধকম্‌ ।

শ্রীচৈতন্যং লিখাম্যস্য মাধুর্যৈশ্বর্য-শীকরম্‌ ॥ ১ ॥

agaty-eka-gatiṁ natvā

hīnārthādhika-sādhakam

śrī-caitanyaṁ likhāmy asya

mādhuryaiśvarya-śīkaram

Translation

Offering my obeisances unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, let me describe a particle of His opulence and sweetness. He is most valuable for a fallen conditioned soul bereft of spiritual knowledge, and He is the only shelter for those who do not know the real goal of life.

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.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Is Our Shelter

  1. 1

    The author offers obeisances unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu before describing a particle of His opulence and sweetness.

  2. 2

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is most valuable for a fallen conditioned soul bereft of spiritual knowledge.

  3. 3

    He is the only shelter for those who do not know the real goal of life.

How it feels

Awe becoming attraction. The Lord’s vast opulence is placed beside the intimate sweetness of Kṛṣṇa.

The mood of Madhya 21 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

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

In this chapter Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fully describes Kṛṣṇaloka, the spiritual sky, the Causal Ocean and the material world, which consists of innumerable universes. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then describes Lord Brahmā’s interview with Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā and the Lord’s curbing the pride of Brahmā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 21
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. agati-eka-gatimto the only shelter for the conditioned souls who do not know the goal of life
  2. natvāoffering obeisances
  3. hīna-arthaof the necessities of the conditioned souls, who are poor in spiritual knowledge
  4. adhikaincrease
  5. sādhakambringing about
  6. śrī-caitanyamunto Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  7. likhāmiI am writing
  8. asyaof Him
  9. mādhurya-aiśvaryaof the sweetness and opulence
  10. śīkarama small portion
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “fallen”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

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

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

Where do I need shelter and spiritual knowledge in my life?

Practice

Offer obeisances unto Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, acknowledging your need for His shelter.

5

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

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

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayŚrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Is Our ShelterThis 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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