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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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.326

সূত্র করি’ দিশা যদি করহ উপদেশ ।

আপনে করহ যদি হৃদয়ে প্রবেশ ॥ ৩২৬ ॥

sūtra kari’ diśā yadi karaha upadeśa

āpane karaha yadi hṛdaye praveśa

Translation

Sanātana Gosvāmī then requested the Lord, “Please personally tell me how I can write this difficult book about Vaiṣṇava behavior. Please manifest Yourself in my heart.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vaiṣṇava Writing Requires Authority and Qualification

  1. 1

    Sanātana Gosvāmī asks the Lord to tell him how to write the difficult book and to manifest Himself within his heart.

  2. 2

    Vaiṣṇava literatures are authorized guides, not mental concoctions. A writer’s opinions must correspond with the conclusion of the Vedas.

  3. 3

    Writing Vaiṣṇava literature requires full qualification in Vaiṣṇava behavior and authorization by superior authority, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • The writing of Vaiṣṇava literatures is not a function for ordinary men.
  • His opinion must always correspond with the conclusion of the Vedas.
  • Unless one is fully qualified in Vaiṣṇava behavior and authorized by superior authority (the Supreme Personality of Godhead), one cannot write Vaiṣṇava literatures or purports and commentaries on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and the Bhagavad-gītā.

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:

Sanātana Gosvāmī then offered a prayer to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained the glory of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. After this, the Lord gave Sanātana Gosvāmī a synopsis of Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, which Sanātana Gosvāmī later developed into the guiding principle of all Vaiṣṇavas.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 24
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sūtra kari’making a synopsis
  2. diśādirection
  3. yadiif
  4. karaha upadeśaYou kindly instruct
  5. āpanepersonally
  6. karahaYou do
  7. yadiif
  8. hṛdaye praveśaentering into me or manifesting in my heart
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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can you distinguish an authorized teaching from your own opinion when discussing spiritual subjects?

Practice

Before sharing one spiritual explanation today, check that it corresponds with the text rather than your own speculation.

Live this todayVaiṣṇava Writing Requires Authority and QualificationThis 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 24.326? Get an answer from the verses themselves.