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Study a Verse

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 22.52Madhya 22.54

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 22.53

নৈষাং মতিস্তাবদুরুক্রমাঙ্ঘ্রিং

স্পৃশত্যনর্থাপগমো যদর্থঃ ।

মহীয়সাং পাদরজোঽভিষেকং

নিষ্কিঞ্চনানাং ন বৃণীত যাবৎ ॥ ৫৩ ॥

naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghriṁ

spṛśaty anarthāpagamo yad-arthaḥ

mahīyasāṁ pāda-rajo-’bhiṣekaṁ

niṣkiñcanānāṁ na vṛṇīta yāvat

Translation

“ ‘Unless human society accepts the dust of the lotus feet of great mahātmās — devotees who have nothing to do with material possessions — mankind cannot turn its attention to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Those lotus feet vanquish all the unwanted, miserable conditions of material life.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

A Devotee’s Blessings Turn Us Toward Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Prahlāda Mahārāja explained that one cannot become the Lord’s devotee without receiving another devotee’s mercy and blessings.

  2. 2

    Human society cannot turn its attention to Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet without accepting the dust of the lotus feet of great mahātmās who have nothing to do with material possessions.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet vanquish all the unwanted, miserable conditions of material life.

Key points from the purport
  • When the great sage Nārada was giving instructions to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he narrated the activities of Prahlāda Mahārāja.
  • This verse was spoken by Prahlāda Mahārāja to his father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, the king of demons.
  • In answer to this question, Prahlāda Mahārāja recited this verse to the effect that one cannot become the Lord’s devotee without receiving the mercy and blessings of another 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.

Connected verses· 2

The purport of CC Madhya 22.53 quotesSB 7.5.32

This verse appears in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.32).

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 25.85

This verse appears in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.5.32).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

One has to fully surrender unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and give up attraction for women and nondevotees. The six symptoms of fully surrendered souls are also described in this chapter.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 22
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. eṣāmof those who are attached to household life
  3. matiḥthe interest
  4. tāvatthat long
  5. urukrama-aṅghrimthe lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is credited with uncommon activities
  6. spṛśatitouches
  7. anarthaof unwanted things
  8. apagamaḥvanquishing
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

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

    In this verse: “lotus feet”

  • 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: “mercy”, “blessings”

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

How willing am I to receive a devotee’s mercy and blessings?

Practice

Respectfully ask a devotee for blessings to turn your attention toward Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayA Devotee’s Blessings Turn Us Toward KṛṣṇaThis 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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