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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

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
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 24.170 Madhya 24.172

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.171

চ-শব্দ অপি-অর্থে, ‘অপি’ — অবধারণে ।

যত্নাগ্রহ বিনা ভক্তি না জন্মায় প্রেমে ॥ ১৭১ ॥

ca-śabda api-arthe, ‘api’ — avadhāraṇe

yatnāgraha vinā bhakti nā janmāya preme

Translation

“The word ‘ca’ may be used in place of ‘api,’ which gives emphasis to something. Thus it means that without sincere endeavor in devotional service, one cannot attain love of Godhead.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sincere Endeavor Leads to Love of Godhead

1
The word ‘ca’ may be used in place of ‘api.’ In this usage, it gives emphasis.
2
The emphasis here is on sincere endeavor in devotional service. Without that endeavor, one cannot attain love of Godhead.
3
Love of Godhead is the goal of this sincere effort. Devotional service calls for genuine engagement, not merely the wish to attain the goal.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in Madhya 24

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

ca-śabdathe word ca
apiof the word api
arthein the sense
api avadhāraṇethis api is used for emphasis
yatna-āgraha vināwithout sincere endeavor
bhaktidevotional service
nānot
janmāyabegets
premelove of Godhead

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

Prema · Love of Godhead
The culminating devotional purpose that unites the narration: bestowed, cultivated, taught, celebrated, and tasted. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “love of godhead”
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.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I make my devotional effort more sincere today?

Practice

Choose one small act of devotional service and perform it with deliberate, sincere attention.

Live this todaySincere Endeavor Leads to Love of GodheadThis 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.

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