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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 22.28Madhya 22.30

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 22.29

জ্ঞানী জীবন্মুক্তদশা পাইনু করি’ মানে ।

বস্তুতঃ বুদ্ধি ‘শুদ্ধ’ নহে কৃষ্ণভক্তি বিনে ॥ ২৯ ॥

jñānī jīvan-mukta-daśā pāinu kari’ māne

vastutaḥ buddhi ‘śuddha’ nahe kṛṣṇa-bhakti vine

Translation

“There are many philosophical speculators [jñānīs] belonging to the Māyāvāda school who consider themselves liberated and call themselves Nārāyaṇa. But their intelligence is not purified unless they engage in Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service.

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.

Devotional Service Purifies Intelligence

  1. 1

    Many philosophical speculators, or jñānīs, belong to the Māyāvāda school.

  2. 2

    They consider themselves liberated and call themselves Nārāyaṇa.

  3. 3

    Their intelligence is not purified unless they engage in Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service.

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:

The speculative method of the so-called jñānīs is considered a waste of time, and that is proved in this chapter. An intelligent person should abandon the processes of karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and mystic yoga.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 22
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. jñānīthe speculative philosophers
  2. jīvan-mukta-daśāthe stage of liberation even while in this body
  3. pāinuI have gotten
  4. kari’taking
  5. māneconsiders
  6. vastutaḥfactually
  7. buddhiintelligence
  8. śuddhapurified
  9. nahenot
  10. kṛṣṇa-bhakti vinewithout devotional service to Kṛṣṇa
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”

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 seeking purification through service to Kṛṣṇa, or relying on my own estimation of spiritual progress?

Practice

Make a little time today for Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service instead of assessing how spiritually advanced you are.

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 todayDevotional Service Purifies IntelligenceThis 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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