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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 24.172

সাধনৌঘৈরনাসঙ্গৈরলভ্যা সুচিরাদপি ।

হরিণা চাশ্বদেয়েতি দ্বিধা সা স্যাৎ সুদুর্লভা ॥ ১৭২ ॥

sādhanaughair anāsaṅgair

alabhyā su-cirād api

hariṇā cāśv adeyeti

dvidhā sā syāt su-durlabhā

Translation

“ ‘Devotional perfection is very difficult to attain for two reasons. First, unless one is attached to Kṛṣṇa, he cannot attain devotional perfection even if he renders devotional service for a long time. Second, Kṛṣṇa does not easily deliver perfection in devotional service.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Perfection Requires Sincerity and Attachment

  1. 1

    Without attachment to Kṛṣṇa, one cannot attain devotional perfection even after rendering devotional service for a long time.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa readily grants liberation but does not very readily grant perfection in devotional service.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa wants to see that a devotee is sincere, serious, and free from ulterior motives. When this is so, devotional service can very easily be successful.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī told Mahārāja Parīkṣit that Kṛṣṇa readily grants liberation but does not very readily grant perfection in devotional service.
  • This means that Kṛṣṇa wants to see that a devotee is actually sincere and serious and that he does not have ulterior motives.
  • If this is the case, devotional service can very easily be successful; otherwise it is very difficult to obtain from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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 24.172 quotesSB 5.6.18

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.6.18), muktiṁ dadāti karhicit.

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. sādhanaactivities of devotional service
  2. oghaiḥby masses of
  3. anāsaṅgaiḥwithout attachment
  4. alabhyāvery difficult to achieve
  5. su-cirāt apieven after a considerable duration of time
  6. hariṇāby the Supreme Lord
  7. caalso
  8. āśuvery soon
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “deliver”

  • 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

Am I seeking to serve Kṛṣṇa sincerely, or am I hoping to gain something else through service?

Practice

Before one act of service today, pause to examine your motive and renew your intention to serve Kṛṣṇa sincerely.

Live this todayDevotional Perfection Requires Sincerity and AttachmentThis 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 24.172? Get an answer from the verses themselves.