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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 24.24Madhya 24.26

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.25

‘কুর্বন্তি’-পদ এই পরস্মৈপদ হয় ।

কৃষ্ণসুখনিমিত্ত ভজনে তাৎপর্য কহয় ॥ ২৫ ॥

‘kurvanti’-pada ei parasmaipada haya

kṛṣṇa-sukha-nimitta bhajane tātparya kahaya

Translation

“The word ‘kurvanti’ means ‘they do something for others,’ since it is a form of the verb ‘to do’ indicating things done for others. It is used in connection with devotional service, which must be executed for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is the purport of the word ‘kurvanti.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serve for Kṛṣṇa’s Satisfaction

  1. 1

    The verb form kurvanti indicates doing something for another’s satisfaction, rather than one’s own.

  2. 2

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī that devotional service should be done only for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction.

  3. 3

    The grammatical distinction is between ātmane-pada, used for one’s own benefit, and parasmai-pada, used for another’s benefit.

Key points from the purport
  • When things are done for others, the verb form changes to kurvanti.
  • Thus Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu informed Sanātana Gosvāmī that in the ātmārāma verse the verb kurvanti means that things should be done only for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa.
  • Thus the verb is formed according to whether something is done for one’s self-satisfaction or for another’s satisfaction.

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:

He analyzed all the words and described each word with its different connotations. Adding the words ca and api, He described all the different meanings 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. kurvanti-padathe word kurvanti
  2. eithis
  3. parasmai-padaa verb form indicating things done for others
  4. hayais
  5. kṛṣṇa-sukha-nimittato satisfy Kṛṣṇa
  6. bhajanein devotional service
  7. tātparyathe purport
  8. kahayais said
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

When I serve, am I seeking my own satisfaction or Kṛṣṇa’s?

Practice

Before one act of devotional service today, pause and intend to do it for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction.

Live this todayServe for Kṛṣṇa’s SatisfactionThis 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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