1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

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 24.121

মোক্ষাকাঙ্ক্ষী জ্ঞানী হয় তিনপ্রকার ।

মুমুক্ষু, জীবন্মুক্ত, প্রাপ্তস্বরূপ আর ॥ ১২১ ॥

mokṣākāṅkṣī jñānī haya tina-prakāra

mumukṣu, jīvan-mukta, prāpta-svarūpa āra

Translation

“Those who wish to merge into the impersonal Brahman are also divided into three categories — those desiring to be liberated, those already liberated and those who have realized Brahman.

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.

Three Categories of Seekers of Brahman

  1. 1

    Those who wish to merge into impersonal Brahman are divided into three categories.

  2. 2

    The first category consists of those desiring liberation; the second consists of those already liberated.

  3. 3

    The third category consists of those who have realized Brahman. The following verses explain how association with devotees can turn such seekers toward devotional service.

How it feels

Intellectual wonder humbled. Many explanations converge on the attractiveness of devotion; a hunter’s heart is transformed.

The mood of Madhya 24 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 24: The Sixty-One Explanations of the Ātmārāma Verse

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He analyzed all the words and described each word with its different connotations. Adding the words ca and api, He described all the different meanings of the verse.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 24
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. mokṣa-ākāṅkṣīthose who desire to merge into the impersonal Brahman
  2. jñānīadvanced in knowledge
  3. hayaare
  4. tina-prakārathree varieties
  5. mumukṣudesiring to be liberated
  6. jīvan-muktaalready liberated, even in this life
  7. prāpta-svarūpaself-realized
  8. āraand
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”

  • 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

How does this distinction help you understand that seekers of liberation may be at different stages?

Practice

Write down the three categories and note what distinguishes each one.

Live this todayThree Categories of Seekers of BrahmanThis 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 24.121? Get an answer from the verses themselves.