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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

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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 6: The Liberation of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya
Madhya 6.254Madhya 6.256

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 6.255

কালান্নষ্টং ভক্তিযোগং নিজং যঃ

প্ৰাদুষ্কর্তুং কৃষ্ণচৈতন্যনামা ।

আবির্ভূতস্তস্য পাদারবিন্দে

গাঢ়ং গাঢ়ং লীয়তাং চিত্তভৃঙ্গঃ ॥ ২৫৫ ॥

kālān naṣṭaṁ bhakti-yogaṁ nijaṁ yaḥ

prāduṣkartuṁ kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmā

āvirbhūtas tasya pādāravinde

gāḍhaṁ gāḍhaṁ līyatāṁ citta-bhṛṅgaḥ

Translation

“Let my consciousness, which is like a honeybee, take shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has just now appeared as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu to teach the ancient system of devotional service to Himself. This system had almost been lost due to the influence of time.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Restoring Devotional Service to Himself

  1. 1

    The prayer compares consciousness to a honeybee seeking shelter at the Lord's lotus feet.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead has appeared as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu to teach devotional service to Himself.

  3. 3

    This ancient system of devotional service had almost been lost through the influence of time.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 6.255 quotesBG 4.7

As Lord Kṛṣṇa states in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.7):

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
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kālātfrom misuse of material propensities and attachment to fruitive activities and speculative knowledge over the course of time
  2. naṣṭamdestroyed
  3. bhakti-yogamthe science of devotional service
  4. nijamwhich is applicable to Him only
  5. yaḥone who
  6. prāduṣkartumto revive
  7. kṛṣṇa-caitanya-nāmānamed Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  8. āvirbhūtaḥwho has appeared
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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”

  • 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

Where does my consciousness seek shelter, and how can I direct it toward the Lord?

Practice

Pause today and prayerfully ask that your consciousness take shelter at Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu's lotus feet.

Live this todayRestoring Devotional Service to HimselfThis 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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