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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

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.

Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Madhya-līlā · Chapter 6: The Liberation of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

Madhya 6.124 Madhya 6.126

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 6.125

ভালমন্দ নাহি কহ, রহ মৌন ধরি’ ।

বুঝ, কি না বুঝ, — ইহা বুঝিতে না পারি ॥ ১২৫ ॥

bhāla-manda nāhi kaha, raha mauna dhari’

bujha, ki nā bujha, — ihā bujhite nā pāri

Translation

“You have simply been listening, fixed in Your silence. Since You do not say whether You think it is right or wrong, I cannot know whether You are actually understanding Vedānta philosophy or not.”

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This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Silence Does Not Reveal Understanding

1
Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya observed that Caitanya Mahāprabhu had simply listened in silence.
2
Caitanya Mahāprabhu had not said whether He thought the explanation was right or wrong.
3
Without a response, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya could not know whether He understood Vedānta philosophy.

How it feels

Doubt transformed to devotion. Intellectual resistance gives way to a profound change of heart.

The mood of Madhya 6 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Madhya 6: The Liberation of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

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

Because of His silence, the Bhaṭṭācārya asked Him whether He was understanding the Vedānta philosophy, and the Lord replied, “Sir, I can understand Vedānta philosophy very clearly, but I cannot understand your explanations.” There was then a discussion between the Bhaṭṭācārya and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu concerning the authority of the Vedic scriptures, specifically the Upaniṣads and Vedānta-sūtra.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Madhya 6