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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 24.203 Madhya 24.205

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.204

ব্যাস-শুক-সনকাদির প্রসিদ্ধ ভজন ।

‘নির্গ্রন্থ’ স্থাবরাদির শুন বিবরণ ॥ ২০৪ ॥

vyāsa-śuka-sanakādira prasiddha bhajana

‘nirgrantha’ sthāvarādira śuna vivaraṇa

Translation

“The devotional service of Vyāsa, Śuka and the four Kumāras has already been well celebrated. Now let Me explain how immovable living entities like trees and plants engage in the Lord’s devotional service.

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.

Trees and Plants Can Serve the Lord

1
The devotional service of Vyāsa, Śuka and the four Kumāras is already well celebrated.
2
The discussion now turns to immovable living entities, such as trees and plants.
3
Trees and plants also engage in the Lord’s devotional service. The following examples show that service is not confined to celebrated personalities.

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.

vyāsaof Vyāsadeva
śukaof Śukadeva Gosvāmī
sanaka-ādiraof the four Kumāras
prasiddha bhajanathe devotional service is celebrated
nirgranthafoolish, uneducated
sthāvara-ādiraof the immovable elements
śuna vivaraṇahear the description

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”
Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association
Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “discussion”

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

How does including trees and plants broaden your understanding of devotional service?

Practice

Look at a tree or plant today and reflect that even immovable living entities can engage in the Lord’s service.

Live this todayTrees and Plants Can Serve the LordThis 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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