1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
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 24.178Madhya 24.180

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.179

কিরাতহূনান্ধ্রপুলিন্দপুক্কশা

আভীরশুহ্মা যবনাঃ খশাদয়ঃ ।

যেঽন্যে চ পাপা যদুপাশ্রয়াশ্রয়াঃ

শুধ্যন্তি তস্মৈ প্রভবিষ্ণবে নমঃ ॥ ১৭৯ ॥

kirāta-hūnāndhra-pulinda-pukkaśā

ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khaśādayaḥ

ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-upāśrayāśrayāḥ

śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ

Translation

“ ‘Kirātas, Hūnas, Āndhras, Pulindas, Pukkaśas, Ābhīras, Śumbhas, Yavanas and members of the Khaśa races, and even others who are addicted to sinful acts, can be purified by taking shelter of the devotees of the Lord, due to His being the supreme power. I beg to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord purifies through His devotees

  1. 1

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī spoke this verse while offering obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, after Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked about creation.

  2. 2

    People of the many backgrounds named here, and even those addicted to sinful acts, can be purified by taking shelter of the Lord’s devotees.

  3. 3

    This purification rests on the supreme power of the Lord. The purport emphasizes the unlimited potencies of Lord Viṣṇu.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse was spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī when Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked him for a description of the creation.
  • While offering obeisances to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śukadeva Gosvāmī described the unlimited potencies of Lord Viṣṇu, who can purify the lowborn creatures mentioned herein.

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 24.179 quotesSB 2.4.18

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.4.18).

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:

Adding the words ca and api, He described all the different meanings of the 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. kirātathe aborigines named Kirātas
  2. hūnathe Hūnas
  3. āndhraĀndhras
  4. pulindaPulindas
  5. pukkaśāḥPukkaśas
  6. ābhīraĀbhīras
  7. śumbhāḥŚumbhas
  8. yavanāḥpersons who do not follow the Vedic injunctions and who eat cow’s flesh
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

    Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

Do I trust the Lord’s power to purify people regardless of their background?

Practice

Offer respectful obeisances to the Lord, remembering His power to purify those who take shelter of His devotees.

Live this todayThe Lord purifies through His devoteesThis 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 24.179? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters