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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 25: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas
Madhya 25.27Madhya 25.29

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 25.28

শ্রীকৃষ্ণচৈতন্য-বাক্য দৃঢ় সত্য মানি ।

কলিকালে সন্ন্যাসে ‘সংসার’ নাহি জিনি ॥ ২৮ ॥

śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-vākya dṛḍha satya māni

kali-kāle sannyāse ‘saṁsāra’ nāhi jini

Translation

“The words of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu are firm and convincing, and I accept them as true. In this Age of Kali, one cannot be delivered from the material clutches simply by formally accepting the renounced order.

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.

Formal Renunciation Alone Cannot Deliver

  1. 1

    The words of Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu are described as firm and convincing.

  2. 2

    The speaker accepts His words as true.

  3. 3

    In the Age of Kali, formally accepting the renounced order alone cannot deliver one from material clutches.

How it feels

Reconciliation and broad mercy. Opponents turn toward bhakti; the Lord returns to Purī and embraces devotees.

The mood of Madhya 25 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 25: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

One day Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to take a bath at Pañcanada, and afterwards all His devotees began chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in front of the temple of Bindu Mādhava. At this time Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī and all his devotees approached the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 25
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya-vākyathe words of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  2. dṛḍhavery firm and convincing
  3. satya māniI admit as truth
  4. kali-kālein this Age of Kali
  5. sannyāsesimply by accepting the renounced order of life
  6. saṁsāra nāhi jinione cannot escape the material clutches
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: “delivered”, “deliver”

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

Do I place more trust in an outward spiritual position than in the teachings I need to follow?

Practice

Take a brief moment to chant Kṛṣṇa’s holy name, emphasizing devotional practice rather than outward status.

5

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayFormal Renunciation Alone Cannot DeliverThis 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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