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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
  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 24.196Madhya 24.198

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.197

অকামঃ সর্বকামো বা মোক্ষকাম উদারধীঃ ।

তীব্রেণ ভক্তিযোগেন যজেত পুরুষং পরম্ ॥ ১৯৭ ॥

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā

mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ

tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena

yajeta puruṣaṁ param

Translation

“ ‘Whether one desires everything or nothing, or whether he desires to merge into the existence of the Lord, he is intelligent only if he worships Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by rendering transcendental loving service.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Intelligence Means Loving Service to Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    A person may desire everything, desire nothing, or desire to merge into the Lord’s existence.

  2. 2

    Whatever one’s desires, intelligence means worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    The worship described here is transcendental loving service.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 24.197 quotesSB 2.3.10

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.3.10).

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:

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. akāmaḥwithout material desires
  2. sarva-kāmaḥfull of all material desires
  3. vāor
  4. mokṣa-kāmaḥdesiring liberation
  5. udāra-dhīḥsincere and advanced in devotional service
  6. tīvreṇafirm
  7. bhakti-yogenaby the practice of bhakti-yoga
  8. yajetashould worship
  9. puruṣam paramthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
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”

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

How could you make loving service to Kṛṣṇa central, whatever your present desires?

Practice

Before one act of service today, pause and express your wish to serve Kṛṣṇa with love.

Live this todayIntelligence Means Loving Service to KṛṣṇaThis 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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