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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
  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 24.184Madhya 24.186

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.185

‘চ’ — অবধারণে, ইহা ‘অপি’ — সমুচ্চয়ে ।

ধৃতিমন্ত হঞা ভজে পক্ষি-মূর্খ-চয়ে ॥ ১৮৫ ॥

‘ca’ — avadhāraṇe, ihā ‘api’ — samuccaye

dhṛtimanta hañā bhaje pakṣi-mūrkha-caye

Translation

“The word ‘ca’ is for emphasis, and the word ‘api’ is used to indicate an aggregate. Thus it is to be understood that even dull creatures [birds and illiterates] can also be situated in endurance and engage in Kṛṣṇa’s devotional service.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Is Open Even to Beginners

  1. 1

    The word ‘ca’ gives emphasis, while ‘api’ indicates an aggregate, or a grouping together.

  2. 2

    Even creatures described here as dull, including birds, and people without literacy are included.

  3. 3

    They too can be situated in endurance and engage in Kṛṣṇa’s 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

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. cathe word ca
  2. avadhāraṇein emphasis
  3. ihāhere
  4. apithe word api
  5. samuccayein the sense of an aggregate
  6. dhṛtimantafully saturated
  7. hañābecoming
  8. bhajeworship
  9. pakṣi-mūrkha-cayedull creatures like the birds, the most foolish
3

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”

  • Kīrtana community · A movement of shared hearts

    Devotional community as a living network of branches, service, festivals, care, and collective chanting. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “together”

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 think that limited learning prevents someone from serving Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Today, make one small effort to serve Kṛṣṇa without letting a lack of learning discourage you.

Live this todayDevotional Service Is Open Even to BeginnersThis 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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