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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 24.35Madhya 24.37

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.36

‘ইত্থম্ভূত’-শব্দের অর্থ — পূর্ণানন্দময় ।

যাঁর আগে ব্রহ্মানন্দ তৃণপ্রায় হয় ॥ ৩৬ ॥

‘ittham-bhūta’-śabdera artha — pūrṇānandamaya

yāṅra āge brahmānanda tṛṇa-prāya haya

Translation

“The word ‘ittham-bhūta’ is transcendentally exalted because it means ‘full of transcendental bliss.’ Before this transcendental bliss, the bliss derived from merging into the existence of the Absolute [brahmānanda] becomes like a piece of straw in comparison.

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.

Transcendental Bliss Surpasses the Bliss of Merging

  1. 1

    ‘Ittham-bhūta’ means ‘full of transcendental bliss’ and is transcendentally exalted.

  2. 2

    Brahmānanda is the bliss derived from merging into the existence of the Absolute.

  3. 3

    Compared with the transcendental bliss described here, brahmānanda becomes like a piece of straw.

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. ittham-bhūta-śabderaof the word ittham-bhūta
  2. arthathe meaning or import
  3. pūrṇa-ānanda-mayafull of transcendental bliss
  4. yāṅra āgein front of which
  5. brahma-ānandathe transcendental bliss derived from impersonalism
  6. tṛṇa-prāyajust like straw
  7. hayais
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the comparison to a piece of straw reveal about this transcendental bliss?

Practice

Write the meaning of ‘ittham-bhūta’ and the comparison used to show its greatness.

Live this todayTranscendental Bliss Surpasses the Bliss of MergingThis 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 24.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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