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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 24.26Madhya 24.28

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.27

‘হেতু’-শব্দে কহে — ভুক্তি-আদি বাঞ্ছান্তরে ।

ভুক্তি, সিদ্ধি, মুক্তি — মুখ্য এই তিন প্রকারে ॥ ২৭ ॥

‘hetu’-śabde kahe — bhukti-ādi vāñchāntare

bhukti, siddhi, mukti — mukhya ei tina prakāre

Translation

“The word ‘hetu’ [‘cause’] means that a thing is done for some motive. There can be three motives. One may act to enjoy the result personally, to achieve some material perfection, or to attain liberation.

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.

Recognize Three Motives for Action

  1. 1

    Hetu means “cause” and indicates that an action is done with a motive.

  2. 2

    One motive is to enjoy the result personally; another is to achieve some material perfection.

  3. 3

    A third motive is to attain liberation. The passage distinguishes these motives from causeless devotional service.

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. hetu-śabdeby the word hetu
  2. kaheit is said
  3. bhuktienjoying the result by oneself
  4. ādiand so on
  5. vāñchā-antarebecause of a different ambition
  6. bhuktienjoying the result of action
  7. siddhithe perfection of doing something
  8. muktiliberation
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

Which of these motives do I notice in my own actions?

Practice

Examine one action today and write down whether enjoyment, material perfection or liberation is part of your motive.

Live this todayRecognize Three Motives for ActionThis 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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