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Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.
Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 6.279
লোহাকে যাবৎ স্পর্শি’ হেম নাহি করে ।
তাবৎ স্পর্শমণি কেহ চিনিতে না পারে ॥ ২৭৯ ॥
lohāke yāvat sparśi’ hema nāhi kare
tāvat sparśa-maṇi keha cinite nā pāre
As long as it does not turn iron into gold by its touch, no one can recognize an unknown stone to be a touchstone.
Read this verse on Vedabase.ioThis verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.
Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.
An unknown stone is not immediately recognizable as a touchstone.
A touchstone turns iron into gold by its touch.
Until that transformation occurs, no one can recognize the unknown stone as a touchstone.
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
From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:
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. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya thus became a pure Vaiṣṇava, and the other learned scholars there followed him.Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 6
Learn the words of the verse.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does this example teach me about recognizing something through its effects?
Write one sentence explaining how the change from iron to gold reveals a touchstone.
Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.
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