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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 24.224Madhya 24.226

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.225

‘চ’ এবার্থে — ‘মুনয়ঃ এব’ কৃষ্ণেরে ভজয় ।

“আত্মারামা অপি” — ‘অপি’ ‘গর্হা’-অর্থ কয় ॥ ২২৫ ॥

‘ca’ evārthe — ‘munayaḥ eva’ kṛṣṇere bhajaya

“ātmārāmā api” — ‘api’ ‘garhā’-artha kaya

Translation

“The word ‘ca’ can also be used to indicate the certainty that only saintly persons are engaged in rendering devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. In the combination ‘ātmārāmā api,’ ‘api’ is used in the sense of censure.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Small Words Carry Distinct Meanings

  1. 1

    The word ‘ca’ can indicate certainty: only saintly persons render devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    In the combination ‘ātmārāmā api,’ the word ‘api’ is used in the sense of censure.

  3. 3

    These explanations show how the meaning of a word depends on its use in a particular combination.

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. cathe word ca
  2. eva-arthein the sense of eva
  3. munayaḥ evajust the saintly persons
  4. kṛṣṇere bhajayaengage themselves in the devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa
  5. ātmārāmāḥ apialso in this combination, ātmārāmā api
  6. apithe word api
  7. garhā-artha kayain the sense of censure
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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”

  • 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”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

    Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “depends”

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 can attending carefully to individual words help me understand this teaching?

Practice

Read the translation slowly and note the meaning given for ‘ca’ and for ‘api.’

Live this todaySmall Words Carry Distinct MeaningsThis 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 24.225? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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