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Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.
Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 22.51
মহৎ-কৃপা বিনা কোন কর্মে ‘ভক্তি’ নয় ।
কৃষ্ণভক্তি দূরে রহু, সংসার নহে ক্ষয় ॥ ৫১ ॥
mahat-kṛpā vinā kona karme ‘bhakti’ naya
kṛṣṇa-bhakti dūre rahu, saṁsāra nahe kṣaya
“Unless one is favored by a pure devotee, one cannot attain the platform of devotional service. To say nothing of kṛṣṇa-bhakti, one cannot even be relieved from the bondage of material existence.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioThree study points drawn from the translation and purport.
Pious activities bring material opulence, but no amount of material pious activity can purchase devotional service.
Charity, building hospitals and schools, and philanthropic work cannot by themselves give devotional service. It is attained only by the mercy of a pure devotee.
Without a pure devotee’s mercy, one cannot even escape the bondage of material existence. Here, mahat means a pure devotee.
Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.
The purport of CC Madhya 22.51 quotesBG 9.13
The word mahat in this verse means “a pure devotee,” as Lord Kṛṣṇa confirms in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.13):
Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.
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
From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:
The fact is that devotional service is bestowed by the blessings of a pure devotee ( sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ ) . A pure devotee is the supreme transcendentalist, and one has to receive his mercy for one’s dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness to be awakened.Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 22
Learn the words of the verse.
The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.
Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life
Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “favored”, “mercy”
Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association
Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “pure devotee”
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.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
Am I treating good deeds as a substitute for seeking a pure devotee’s mercy?
Take a quiet moment today to ask for a pure devotee’s mercy in attaining devotional service.
Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.
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