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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 24: The Sixty-One Explanations of the Ātmārāma Verse
Madhya 24.122Madhya 24.124

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.123

মুমুক্ষবো ঘোররূপান্ হিত্বা ভূতপতীনথ ।

নারায়ণ-কলাঃ শান্তা ভজন্তি হ্যনসূয়বঃ ॥ ১২৩ ॥

mumukṣavo ghora-rūpān

hitvā bhūta-patīn atha

nārāyaṇa-kalāḥ śāntā

bhajanti hy anasūyavaḥ

Translation

“ ‘Those who want to be relieved from the material clutches give up the worship of the various demigods who have fearful bodily features. Such peaceful devotees, who are not envious of the demigods, worship the different forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Worship the Lord Without Envy

  1. 1

    Those who actually want the highest perfection worship Lord Viṣṇu in His different incarnations.

  2. 2

    Those attracted to materialistic life, agitated and full of anxiety, worship demigods who appear fierce.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa’s devotees do not envy the demigods or their worshipers. They peacefully render devotional service to the incarnations of Nārāyaṇa instead.

Key points from the purport
  • Those who actually want the highest perfection worship Lord Viṣṇu in His different incarnations.
  • Those who are attracted to the materialistic way of life and who are always agitated and full of anxiety worship demigods who appear fierce — demigods like goddess Kālī and Kāla-bhairava (Rudra).
  • The devotees of Kṛṣṇa, however, do not envy the demigods or their worshipers but peacefully render devotional service to the incarnations of Nārāyaṇa instead.

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 24.123 quotesSB 1.2.26

This is a quotation from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.26).

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

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 then concluded that different classes of transcendentalists ( jñānīs, karmīs, yogīs ) utilize this verse according to their own interpretation, but if they would give up this process and surrender to Kṛṣṇa, as indicated by the verse itself, they would be able to comprehend the real meaning 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. mumukṣavaḥthose who are perfectly learned, who desire the highest perfection, and who, unlike demons and nondevotees, are never envious of anyone
  2. ghora-rūpāndemigods with fearful bodily features
  3. hitvāgiving up
  4. bhūta-patīnthe forefathers (prajāpatis)
  5. athatherefore
  6. nārāyaṇa-kalāḥthe plenary expansions of Lord Nārāyaṇa
  7. śāntāḥvery peaceful
  8. bhajantithey worship
  9. hicertainly
  10. anasūyavaḥnonenvious
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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 can you remain steady in devotion without feeling envy toward other worshipers?

Practice

If you think of someone whose worship differs from yours today, set aside envy and return your attention peacefully to serving the Lord.

Live this todayWorship the Lord Without EnvyThis 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 24.123? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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