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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 24.336

নামমহিমা, নামাপরাধ দূরে বর্জন ।

বৈষ্ণবলক্ষণ, সেবাপরাধ-খণ্ডন ॥ ৩৩৬ ॥

nāma-mahimā, nāmāparādha dūre varjana

vaiṣṇava-lakṣaṇa, sevāparādha-khaṇḍana

Translation

“You should glorify the holy name and explain that one must carefully give up offenses when chanting the holy name. You should also describe the symptoms of a Vaiṣṇava and explain that one must give up or nullify all kinds of sevā-aparādha, offenses in Deity worship.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Chant and Worship Carefully, Avoiding Offenses

  1. 1

    The holy name should be glorified, and offenses in chanting must carefully be given up. The devotee should always be careful not to commit the ten offenses when chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

  2. 2

    One must give up or nullify all kinds of sevā-aparādha, offenses in Deity worship. Strictly following the methods of Deity worship naturally and quickly helps one become a pure Vaiṣṇava.

  3. 3

    A pure Vaiṣṇava has unflinching faith in the Lord and does not deviate at all. Such a devotee is always engaged in perfect Deity worship.

Key points from the purport
  • The devotee should always be very careful not to commit the ten offenses when chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.
  • If a devotee very strictly follows the methods of Deity worship, he will naturally and quickly become a pure Vaiṣṇava.
  • He is always engaged in perfect Deity worship.

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
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. nāma-mahimāthe glories of the holy name
  2. nāma-aparādhaoffenses in chanting the holy name
  3. dūre varjanagiving up very carefully
  4. vaiṣṇava-lakṣaṇathe symptoms of a Vaiṣṇava
  5. sevā-aparādha-khaṇḍanarejecting offenses in worshiping the Deity
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chanting”, “holy name”

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 you bring greater care to your chanting and worship today?

Practice

Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra today with a conscious intention to avoid offenses.

Live this todayChant and Worship Carefully, Avoiding OffensesThis 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 24.336? Get an answer from the verses themselves.