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 24.189Madhya 24.191

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.190

তে বৈ বিদন্ত্যতিতরন্তি চ দেবমায়াং

স্ত্রীশূদ্রহূনশবরা অপি পাপজীবাঃ ।

যদ্যদ্ভুতক্রমপরায়ণ-শীল-শিক্ষা-

স্তির্যগ্জনা অপি কিমু শ্রুতধারণা যে ॥ ১৯০ ॥

te vai vidanty atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ

strī-śūdra-hūna-śabarā api pāpa-jīvāḥ

yady adbhuta-krama-parāyaṇa-śīla-śikṣās

tiryag-janā api kim u śruta-dhāraṇā ye

Translation

“ ‘Women, fourth-class men, uncivilized hill tribes, hunters and many others born of low families, as well as birds and beasts, can engage in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead — who acts very wonderfully — and follow the path of the devotees and take lessons from them. Although the ocean of nescience is vast, they can still cross over it. What, then, is the difficulty for those who are advanced in Vedic knowledge?’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Chanting the Lord’s Glories Overcomes Ignorance

  1. 1

    The verse includes women, people of low social standing, birds and beasts among those who can serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    They can follow the devotees’ path, take lessons from them and cross the vast ocean of nescience, or ignorance.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that simply chanting the glories of Lord Viṣṇu enables one to cross that ocean, regardless of low birth. Those advanced in Vedic knowledge can also follow this path.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Brahmā said this when speaking to his disciple Nārada about the wonderful characteristics of Lord Viṣṇu.
  • Simply by chanting the glories of Lord Viṣṇu, one can cross the ocean of nescience, even though one may be lowborn.

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 24.190 quotesSB 2.7.46

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.7.46).

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. teall of them
  2. vaicertainly
  3. vidantiunderstand
  4. atitaranticross over
  5. caalso
  6. deva-māyāmthe influence of the external illusory energy
  7. strīwomen
  8. śūdrafourth-class men
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”, “serve”

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chanting”

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 let social standing or education obscure the power of chanting the Lord’s glories?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to chant the glories of Lord Viṣṇu.

Live this todayChanting the Lord’s Glories Overcomes IgnoranceThis 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 24.190? 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