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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 24.218Madhya 24.220

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.219

স্থানাভিলাষী তপসি স্থিতোঽহং

ত্বাং প্রাপ্তবান্ দেবমুনীন্দ্রগুহ্যম্ ।

কাচং বিচিন্বন্নপি দিব্যরত্নং

স্বামিন্ কৃতার্থোঽস্মি বরং ন যাচে ॥ ২১৯ ॥

sthānābhilāṣī tapasi sthito ’haṁ

tvāṁ prāptavān deva-munīndra-guhyam

kācaṁ vicinvann api divya-ratnaṁ

svāmin kṛtārtho ’smi varaṁ na yāce

Translation

“[When he was being blessed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Dhruva Mahārāja said:] ‘O my Lord, because I was seeking an opulent material position, I was performing severe types of penance and austerity. Now I have gotten You, who are very difficult for the great demigods, saintly persons and kings to attain. I was searching after a piece of glass, but instead I have found a most valuable jewel. Therefore I am so satisfied that I do not wish to ask any benediction from You.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Finding the Lord Surpasses Material Rewards

  1. 1

    Dhruva Mahārāja performed severe penance and austerity because he wanted an opulent material position.

  2. 2

    Having attained the Lord, who is very difficult for great demigods, saintly persons and kings to attain, he compared his former goal to glass and the Lord to a most valuable jewel.

  3. 3

    Dhruva Mahārāja became so satisfied that he no longer wished to ask the Lord for any benediction.

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:

In this regard, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu narrated a story about how the great sage Nārada converted a hunter into a great Vaiṣṇava, and how this was appreciated by Nārada’s friend Parvata Muni. Sanātana Gosvāmī then offered a prayer to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained the glory of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 24
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sthāna-abhilāṣīdesiring a very high position in the material world
  2. tapasiin severe austerities and penances
  3. sthitaḥsituated
  4. ahamI
  5. tvāmYou
  6. prāptavānhave obtained
  7. deva-muni-indra-guhyamdifficult to achieve even for great demigods, saintly persons and kings
  8. kācama piece of glass
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life

    Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “blessed”

  • 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: “saintly”

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 does Dhruva Mahārāja’s comparison of glass and a jewel help you reconsider what you seek?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer to the Lord today without asking for a material reward.

Live this todayFinding the Lord Surpasses Material RewardsThis 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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