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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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 22.85

অত আত্যন্তিকং ক্ষেমং পৃচ্ছামো ভবতোঽনঘাঃ ।

সংসারেঽস্মিন্‌ ক্ষণার্ধোঽপি সৎসঙ্গঃ সেবধির্নৃণাম্‌ ॥ ৮৫ ॥

ata ātyantikaṁ kṣemaṁ

pṛcchāmo bhavato ’naghāḥ

saṁsāre ’smin kṣaṇārdho ’pi

sat-saṅgaḥ sevadhir nṛṇām

Translation

“ ‘O devotees! O you who are free from all sins! Let me inquire from you about that which is supremely auspicious for all living entities. Association with a pure devotee for even half a moment in this material world is the greatest treasure for human society.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Devotee Association Is the Greatest Treasure

  1. 1

    The speaker asks devotees who are free from all sins about what is supremely auspicious for all living entities.

  2. 2

    Association with a pure devotee is valuable even for half a moment.

  3. 3

    Such association is the greatest treasure for human society in this material world.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 22.85 quotesSB 11.2.30

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.30).

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:

A devotee’s most formidable enemy is association with women in an enjoying spirit. Association with nondevotees is also condemned because it is also a formidable enemy on the path of devotional service.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 22
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ataḥtherefore (due to the rarity of seeing pure devotees of the Lord)
  2. ātyantikamsupreme
  3. kṣemamauspiciousness
  4. pṛcchāmaḥwe are asking
  5. bhavataḥyou
  6. anaghāḥO sinless ones
  7. saṁsārein the material world
  8. asminthis
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “association”, “pure devotee”

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 much value do I place on even a brief opportunity to associate with a pure devotee?

Practice

Today, seek a brief opportunity to hear from a pure devotee.

Live this todayPure Devotee Association Is the Greatest TreasureThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 22.85? Get an answer from the verses themselves.