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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 24.137

ভয়ং দ্বিতীয়াভিনিবেশতঃ স্যা-

দীশাদপেতস্য বিপর্যয়োঽস্মৃতিঃ ।

তন্মায়য়াতো বুধ আভজেত্তং

ভক্ত্যৈকয়েশং গুরুদেবতাত্মা ॥ ১৩৭ ॥

bhayaṁ dvitīyābhiniveśataḥ syād

īśād apetasya viparyayo ’smṛtiḥ

tan-māyayāto budha ābhajet taṁ

bhaktyaikayeśaṁ guru-devatātmā

Translation

“ ‘When the living entity is attracted by the material energy, which is separate from Kṛṣṇa, he is overpowered by fear. Because he is separated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the material energy, his conception of life is reversed. In other words, instead of being the eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes Kṛṣṇa’s competitor. This is called viparyayo’smṛtiḥ. To nullify this mistake, one who is actually learned and advanced worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his spiritual master, worshipful Deity and source of life. He thus worships the Lord by the process of unalloyed devotional service.’

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Replace Competition with Pure Devotional Service

  1. 1

    Attraction to material energy, which is separate from Kṛṣṇa, overpowers the living entity with fear.

  2. 2

    Material separation reverses one's understanding of life: instead of being Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant, one becomes His competitor. This is called viparyayo’smṛtiḥ.

  3. 3

    One who is truly learned worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as spiritual master, worshipful Deity and source of life. Unalloyed devotional service corrects the mistaken understanding.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 24.137 quotesSB 11.2.37

This verse is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.37).

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
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. bhayamfear
  2. dvitīya-abhiniveśataḥfrom the misconception of being a product of material energy
  3. syātarises
  4. īśātfrom the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa
  5. apetasyaof one who has withdrawn (the conditioned soul)
  6. viparyayaḥreversal of position
  7. asmṛtiḥno conception of his relationship with the Supreme Lord
  8. tat-māyayābecause of the illusory energy of the Supreme Lord
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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”, “servant”

  • Vipralambha · Love in separation

    Separation that intensifies remembrance and longing; especially central to the confidential pastimes at Purī. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “separated”, “separation”

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

Where do I notice a wish to compete with Kṛṣṇa rather than serve Him?

Practice

Pause before one task today and offer to do it as Kṛṣṇa’s servant rather than for your own supremacy.

Live this todayReplace Competition with Pure Devotional ServiceThis 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 24.137? Get an answer from the verses themselves.