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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 22: The Process of Devotional Service
Madhya 22.108Madhya 22.110

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 22.109

রাগহীন জন ভজে শাস্ত্রের আজ্ঞায় ।

‘বৈধী ভক্তি’ বলি’ তারে সর্বশাস্ত্রে গায় ॥ ১০৯ ॥

rāga-hīna jana bhaje śāstrera ājñāya

‘vaidhī bhakti’ bali’ tāre sarva-śāstre gāya

Translation

“Those who have not attained the platform of spontaneous attachment in devotional service render devotional service under the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master according to the regulative principles mentioned in the revealed scriptures. According to the revealed scriptures, this kind of devotional service is called vaidhī bhakti.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Guided Practice Leads to Spontaneous Loving Service

  1. 1

    Those who have not attained spontaneous attachment follow the regulative principles of revealed scriptures under a bona fide spiritual master. This is called vaidhī bhakti and begins with hearing from the spiritual master.

  2. 2

    Hearing, chanting, remembering and Deity worship are essential primary activities performed under the spiritual master’s directions. Service must be offered out of love, without material purposes or even a desire to merge into the Absolute Truth.

  3. 3

    By following the rules and regulations of devotional service, one can gradually reach spontaneous loving service. This process awakens the dormant love for Kṛṣṇa already present in everyone’s heart.

Key points from the purport
  • Devotional service must not be executed for some material purpose.
  • Dormant love for Kṛṣṇa exists in everyone’s heart, and it simply has to be awakened by the regulative process of devotional service.
  • Similarly, one has to follow the rules and regulations of devotional service as they are set down by the spiritual master; then one can come to the point of spontaneous loving service.

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

Trust and resolution. Devotional practice and association offer a steady path for awakening love.

The mood of Madhya 22 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 22: The Process of Devotional Service

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

Devotional service has been divided into two categories — regulative devotional service and spontaneous love. There are sixty-four items listed in regulative devotional service, and out of these sixty-four the last five are considered very important.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 22
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. rāga-hīnawho are without spontaneous attachment to Kṛṣṇa
  2. janapersons
  3. bhajeexecute devotional service
  4. śāstrera ājñāyaaccording to the principles and regulations described in the revealed scriptures
  5. vaidhī bhaktiregulative devotional service
  6. bali’calling
  7. tārethat
  8. sarva-śāstreall revealed scriptures
  9. gāyasing
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”

  • Prema · Love of Godhead

    The culminating devotional purpose that unites the narration: bestowed, cultivated, taught, celebrated, and tasted. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “love for krsna”

  • 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”

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 approaching devotional service out of love, or am I seeking something else through it?

Practice

Before your devotional practice today, pause to set aside any wish for material reward and offer the service out of love.

Live this todayGuided Practice Leads to Spontaneous Loving ServiceThis 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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