1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
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 24.258Madhya 24.260

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.259

“ঘরে গিয়া ব্রাহ্মণে দেহ’ যত আছে ধন ।

এক এক বস্ত্র পরি’ বাহির হও দুইজন ॥ ২৫৯ ॥

“ghare giyā brāhmaṇe deha’ yata āche dhana

eka eka vastra pari’ bāhira hao dui-jana

Translation

“Nārada Muni then advised the hunter, ‘Return home and distribute whatever riches you have to the pure brāhmaṇas who know the Absolute Truth. After you have distributed all your riches to the brāhmaṇas, you and your wife should leave home, each of you taking only one cloth to wear.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Renunciation Makes Room for Spiritual Service

  1. 1

    Nārada Muni told the hunter to distribute his riches to pure brāhmaṇas who know the Absolute Truth. He and his wife were then to leave home with only one cloth each.

  2. 2

    The purport identifies this as vānaprastha, a stage of renunciation after householder life. Husband and wife leave home, distribute their riches to brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas, and pursue spiritual advancement together.

  3. 3

    Vānaprastha is preliminary to sannyāsa. The husband may later take sannyāsa to preach, while the wife may serve the Deity or engage in other activities within the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Key points from the purport
  • After enjoying householder life for some time, the husband and wife must leave home and distribute their riches to brāhmaṇas and Vaiṣṇavas.
  • One can keep his wife as an assistant in the vānaprastha stage.
  • Therefore Nārada Muni advised the hunter to adopt the vānaprastha stage and leave home.

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:

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. ghare giyāreturning home
  2. brāhmaṇeto the brāhmaṇas, the most intelligent men in spiritual understanding
  3. deha’give
  4. yatawhatever
  5. ācheyou have
  6. dhanariches
  7. eka ekaeach of you
  8. vastra pari’just one cloth
  9. bāhira haoleave home
  10. dui-janaboth of you
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Audārya · Love that moves outward

    The freely offered gift of bhakti and prema, especially through nāma-saṅkīrtana and Mahāprabhu’s compassionate dealings. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “distribute”

  • Kīrtana community · A movement of shared hearts

    Devotional community as a living network of branches, service, festivals, care, and collective chanting. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “together”

  • 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: “serve”

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 could simpler living make more room for spiritual service in your life?

Practice

Identify one possession you could give up to simplify your life and support devotional service.

Live this todayRenunciation Makes Room for Spiritual ServiceThis 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 24.259? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters