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Study a Verse

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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 6.235

যেষাং স এষ ভগবান্ দয়য়েদনন্তঃ

সর্বাত্মনাশ্রিতপদো যদি নির্ব্যলীকম্ ।

তে দুস্তরামতিতরন্তি চ দেবমায়াং

নৈষাং মমাহমিতিধীঃ শ্বশৃগালভক্ষ্যে ॥ ২৩৫ ॥

yeṣāṁ sa eṣa bhagavān dayayed anantaḥ

sarvātmanāśrita-pado yadi nirvyalīkam

te dustarām atitaranti ca deva-māyāṁ

naiṣāṁ mamāham iti dhīḥ śva-śṛgāla-bhakṣye

Translation

“ ‘When a person takes shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without reservation, the unlimited, merciful Lord bestows His causeless mercy upon him. Thus he can pass over the insurmountable ocean of nescience. Those whose intelligence is fixed in the bodily conception, who think, “I am this body,” are fit food for dogs and jackals. The Supreme Lord never bestows His mercy upon such people.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Shelter Without Reservation

  1. 1

    The unlimited, merciful Lord bestows His causeless mercy upon one who takes shelter of His lotus feet without reservation.

  2. 2

    By that mercy, a person can cross the otherwise insurmountable ocean of nescience, or ignorance.

  3. 3

    The Supreme Lord does not bestow His benediction upon those fixed in the bodily conception, thinking, “I am this body.”

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Lord never bestows His benediction upon those fixed in the bodily conception.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 6.235 quotesBG 18.66

As Kṛṣṇa clearly states in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.66):

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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

Further reading

Madhya 6: The Liberation of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

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

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised Sārvabhauma not to change the reading of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, because mukti-pada indicated the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa. Having become a pure devotee, the Bhaṭṭācārya said, “Because the meaning is hazy, I still prefer bhakti-pada. ” At this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the other inhabitants of Jagannātha Purī became very pleased.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 6
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. yeṣāmunto those who are fully surrendered souls
  2. saḥHe
  3. eṣaḥthis
  4. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. dayayetmay show mercy
  6. anantaḥthe unlimited
  7. sarva-ātmanāfully, without reservation
  8. āśrita-padaḥthose who have taken shelter of the Lord
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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”, “merciful”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

    Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “shelter”, “lotus feet”

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

What reservation do I notice in my willingness to take shelter of the Lord?

Practice

Today, offer a short prayer asking to take shelter of the Lord without reservation.

Live this todayTake Shelter Without ReservationThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 6.235? Get an answer from the verses themselves.