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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 24.181 Madhya 24.183

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.182

কৃষ্ণভক্ত — দুঃখহীন, বাঞ্ছান্তর-হীন ।

কৃষ্ণপ্রেম-সেবা-পূর্ণানন্দ-প্রবীণ ॥ ১৮২ ॥

kṛṣṇa-bhakta — duḥkha-hīna, vāñchāntara-hīna

kṛṣṇa-prema-sevā-pūrṇānanda-pravīṇa

Translation

“A devotee of Kṛṣṇa is never in a miserable condition, nor does he have any desire other than to serve Kṛṣṇa. He is experienced and advanced. He feels the transcendental bliss of love of Kṛṣṇa and always engages in His service in full perfection.

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.

Love of Kṛṣṇa brings fullness in service

1
The devotee described here is never in a miserable condition and has no desire other than to serve Kṛṣṇa.
2
Such a devotee is experienced and advanced, feeling the transcendental bliss of love of Kṛṣṇa.
3
This fullness is expressed in constant service. The devotee always engages in Kṛṣṇa’s service in full perfection.

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 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 summary Back to this verse in Madhya 24

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

kṛṣṇa-bhaktaa devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa
duḥkha-hīnanot under miserable material conditions
vāñchā-antara-hīnahe has no desire other than to serve Kṛṣṇa
kṛṣṇa-premalove of Kṛṣṇa
sevāservice
pūrṇa-ānandafull in transcendental bliss
pravīṇaand very expert or experienced in all subject matters

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”, “serve”
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 krsna”

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

In my service, am I seeking something besides the opportunity to serve Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Before one act of service today, pause and express the wish to serve Kṛṣṇa without seeking another reward.

Live this todayLove of Kṛṣṇa brings fullness in 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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