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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 24.38Madhya 24.40

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.39

ভুক্তি-মুক্তি-সিদ্ধি-সুখ ছাড়য় যার গন্ধে ।

অলৌকিক শক্তি-গুণে কৃষ্ণকৃপায় বান্ধে ॥ ৩৯ ॥

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-sukha chāḍaya yāra gandhe

alaukika śakti-guṇe kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya bāndhe

Translation

“Pure devotional service is so sublime that one can very easily forget the happiness derived from material enjoyment, material liberation and mystic or yogic perfection. Thus the devotee is bound by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and His uncommon power and qualities.

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.

Pure Devotion Surpasses All Other Happiness

  1. 1

    Pure devotional service is so sublime that the happiness of material enjoyment can very easily be forgotten.

  2. 2

    The happiness derived from material liberation and mystic or yogic perfection can also be forgotten.

  3. 3

    The devotee is thus bound by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy and His uncommon power and qualities.

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:

According to Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī’s request, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained the well-known Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam verse beginning ātmārāmāś ca munayaḥ. He explained this verse in sixty-one different ways.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 24
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. bhuktimaterial enjoyment
  2. muktiliberation from material suffering
  3. siddhithe perfection of mystic yoga
  4. sukhathe happiness derived from these things
  5. chāḍayaone gives up
  6. yāraof which
  7. gandhesimply by the slight fragrance
  8. alaukikauncommon, transcendental
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life

    Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “mercy”

  • 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

How does this verse help you distinguish pure devotional service from seeking other kinds of happiness?

Practice

Write one sentence expressing your wish for pure devotional service rather than the other rewards named here.

Live this todayPure Devotion Surpasses All Other HappinessThis 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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