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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 22.87Madhya 22.91

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Madhya 22.88-90

সত্যং শৌচং দয়া মৌনং বুদ্ধির্হ্রীঃ শ্রীর্যশঃ ক্ষমা ।

শমো দমো ভগশ্চেতি যৎসঙ্গাদ্‌যাতি সংক্ষয়ম্‌ ॥ ৮৮ ॥

satyaṁ śaucaṁ dayā maunaṁ

buddhir hrīḥ śrīr yaśaḥ kṣamā

śamo damo bhagaś ceti

yat-saṅgād yāti saṅkṣayam

Translation

“ ‘By association with worldly people, one becomes devoid of truthfulness, cleanliness, mercy, gravity, spiritual intelligence, shyness, austerity, fame, forgiveness, control of the mind, control of the senses, fortune and all opportunities. One should not at any time associate with a coarse fool who is bereft of the knowledge of self-realization and who is no more than a toy animal in the hands of a woman. The illusion and bondage that accrue to a man from attachment to any other object are not as complete as that resulting from association with a woman or with men too much attached to women.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bad Association Deepens Illusion and Bondage

  1. 1

    Worldly association erodes qualities such as truthfulness, cleanliness, mercy, forgiveness, and control of the mind and senses.

  2. 2

    The passage strongly warns against attachment to women and association with men too attached to women, describing the resulting illusion and bondage.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that bad association gradually leads one into lower species of life. It connects this warning with the symptoms of those devoid of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Due to bad association, one gradually falls into lower species.
  • Association with women is greatly stressed in this regard.
  • When one becomes attached to women or to those who are attached to women, one falls down into the lower species.

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· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 22.88-90 quotesSB 3.31.33

These verses, quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.31.33-35), were spoken by Kapiladeva, an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to His mother.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. satyamtruthfulness
  2. śaucamcleanliness
  3. dayāmercy
  4. maunamsilence
  5. buddhiḥintelligence
  6. hrīḥmodesty
  7. śrīḥbeauty
  8. yaśaḥfame
3

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”, “associate”

  • 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”

  • 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

Which associations weaken my self-control or deepen my material attachment?

Practice

Identify one association that weakens your self-control, and avoid spending optional time in it today.

Live this todayBad Association Deepens Illusion and BondageThis 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 22.88-90? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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