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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 25.47Madhya 25.49

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 25.48

‘ভগবত্তা’ মানিলে ‘অদ্বৈত’ না যায় স্থাপন ।

অতএব সব শাস্ত্র করয়ে খণ্ডন ॥ ৪৮ ॥

‘bhagavattā’ mānile ‘advaita’ nā yāya sthāpana

ataeva saba śāstra karaye khaṇḍana

Translation

“If one accepts the Personality of Godhead, the philosophy that maintains that God and the living entity are one cannot be established. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya argued against and refuted all kinds of revealed scriptures.

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.

Accepting the Personality of Godhead

  1. 1

    The verse states that accepting the Personality of Godhead prevents establishing the philosophy that God and the living entity are one.

  2. 2

    It presents these two positions as incompatible.

  3. 3

    To maintain his philosophy, Śaṅkarācārya therefore argued against and refuted all kinds of revealed scriptures.

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:

A Maharashtriyan brāhmaṇa who was living in Benares was a great devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was always very happy to hear the glories of the Lord, and it was by his arrangement that all the sannyāsīs of Vārāṇasī became devotees of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 25
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. bhagavattāthe Personality of Godhead
  2. mānileif one accepts
  3. advaitamonism or nondualism
  4. nānot
  5. yāyais possible
  6. sthāpanaestablishing
  7. ataevatherefore
  8. sabaall
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I willing to reconsider a theory when it conflicts with revealed scripture?

Practice

Write one sentence explaining the conflict this verse identifies between accepting the Personality of Godhead and maintaining that God and the living entity are one.

4

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 todayAccepting the Personality of GodheadThis 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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