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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 24.98Madhya 24.100

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.99

‘দুঃসঙ্গ’ কহিয়ে — ‘কৈতব’, ‘আত্মবঞ্চনা’ ।

কৃষ্ণ, কৃষ্ণভক্তি বিনু অন্য কামনা ॥ ৯৯ ॥

‘duḥsaṅga’ kahiye — ‘kaitava’, ‘ātma-vañcanā’

kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-bhakti vinu anya kāmanā

Translation

“Cheating oneself and cheating others is called kaitava. Associating with those who cheat in this way is called duḥsaṅga, bad association. Those who desire things other than Kṛṣṇa’s service are also called duḥsaṅga, bad association.

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 Cheating and Unwanted Association

  1. 1

    Cheating oneself and cheating others is called kaitava.

  2. 2

    Association with those who cheat in this way is called duḥsaṅga, or bad association.

  3. 3

    Those who desire things other than Kṛṣṇa’s service are also described as duḥsaṅga.

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 then concluded that different classes of transcendentalists ( jñānīs, karmīs, yogīs ) utilize this verse according to their own interpretation, but if they would give up this process and surrender to Kṛṣṇa, as indicated by the verse itself, they would be able to comprehend the real meaning 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. duḥsaṅgabad, unwanted association
  2. kahiyeI say
  3. kaitavacheating
  4. ātma-vañcanācheating oneself
  5. kṛṣṇaLord Kṛṣṇa
  6. kṛṣṇa-bhaktidevotional service to Kṛṣṇa
  7. vinuwithout
  8. anyaother
  9. kāmanādesires
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “association”

  • 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

Am I disguising a personal desire as a desire to serve Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Examine the motive behind one action today and consciously direct it toward Kṛṣṇa’s service rather than personal gain.

Live this todayRecognize Cheating and Unwanted AssociationThis 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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