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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 24.174 Madhya 24.176

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.175

‘মুনি’-শব্দে — পক্ষী, ভৃঙ্গ, ‘নির্গ্রন্থে’ — মূর্খজন ।

কৃষ্ণকৃপায় সাধুকৃপায় দোঁহার ভজন ॥ ১৭৫ ॥

‘muni’-śabde — pakṣī, bhṛṅga; ‘nirgranthe’ — mūrkha-jana

kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya sādhu-kṛpāya doṅhāra bhajana

Translation

“The word ‘muni’ also means ‘bird’ and ‘bumblebee.’ The word ‘nirgrantha’ refers to foolish people. By the mercy of Kṛṣṇa, such creatures contact a sādhu [spiritual master] and thus engage in devotional service.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Mercy Opens Devotional Service

1
The word ‘muni’ also means ‘bird’ and ‘bumblebee.’
2
The word ‘nirgrantha’ refers here to foolish people.
3
By Kṛṣṇa’s mercy, such creatures come into contact with a sādhu, or spiritual master. Through that contact, they engage in 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

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.

muni-śabdeby the word muni
pakṣībird
bhṛṅgabumblebee
nirgrantheby the word nirgrantha
mūrkha-janafoolish people
kṛṣṇa-kṛpāyaby the mercy of Lord Kṛṣṇa
sādhu-kṛpāyaby the mercy of a devotee
doṅhāra bhajanaengages in devotional service of both (Kṛṣṇa and his spiritual master or the sādhu)

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: “mercy”
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 do I value contact with a spiritual master as an opportunity for devotional service?

Practice

Read a short instruction from a spiritual master today and choose one way to apply it in service.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Mercy Opens 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.

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