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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 24.219Madhya 24.221

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.220

এই চারি অর্থ সহ হইল ‘তেইশ’ অর্থ ।

আর তিন অর্থ শুন পরম সমর্থ ॥ ২২০ ॥

ei cāri artha saha ha-ila ‘teiśa’ artha

āra tina artha śuna parama samartha

Translation

“In addition to the nineteen meanings of the verse mentioned previously, there are these four further meanings when the word ‘ātmārāma’ is taken to mean ‘those laboring under the bodily conception.’ This brings the total to twenty-three. Now hear of another three meanings, which are very suitable.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Different Word Meanings Open Further Interpretations

  1. 1

    Taking ātmārāma to mean those laboring under the bodily conception adds four meanings to the previous nineteen, bringing the total to twenty-three.

  2. 2

    Two further meanings arise when ca means “in due course,” or when ca means eva and api means “censure.”

  3. 3

    A third further meaning arises when nirgrantha means one who is very poor, without money.

Key points from the purport
  • The three further meanings of the verse are understood when (1) the word ca is taken to mean “in due course,” (2) the word ca is taken to mean eva and the word api to mean “censure,” and (3) the word nirgrantha is taken to mean “one who is very poor, without money.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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. eithese
  2. cārifour
  3. arthameanings
  4. sahawith
  5. ha-ilathere were
  6. teiśa arthatwenty-three different varieties of imports
  7. āra tina arthaanother three imports
  8. śunahear
  9. parama samarthavery strong
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does noticing a word’s different meanings affect the care with which you read?

Practice

Write down the three further ways of understanding the words listed in this verse’s purport.

Live this todayDifferent Word Meanings Open Further InterpretationsThis 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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