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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

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 · Texts Madhya 7.144-145

বহু স্তুতি করি’ কহে, — শুন, দয়াময় ।

জীবে এই গুণ নাহি, তোমাতে এই হয় ॥ ১৪৪ ॥

bahu stuti kari’ kahe, — śuna, dayā-maya

jīve ei guṇa nāhi, tomāte ei haya

Translation

The brāhmaṇa Vāsudeva continued, “O my merciful Lord, such mercy is not possible for ordinary living entities. Such mercy can be found only in You. Upon seeing me, even a sinful person goes away due to my bad bodily odor. Yet You have touched me. Such is the independent behavior of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

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.

The Supreme Lord’s Independent Mercy

  1. 1

    Vāsudeva says that such mercy is not possible for ordinary living entities and can be found only in the Lord.

  2. 2

    Even a sinful person would go away because of Vāsudeva’s bad bodily odor, yet the Lord touched him.

  3. 3

    Vāsudeva recognizes this mercy as the independent behavior of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

How it feels

Expansive compassion. The Lord carries nāma and mercy from village to village, including deliverance of Vāsudeva.

The mood of Madhya 7 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 7: The Lord Begins His Tour of South India

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

While there, He bestowed His causeless mercy upon a brāhmaṇa called Kūrma and cured another brāhmaṇa, named Vāsudeva, who was suffering from leprosy. After curing this brāhmaṇa leper, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu received the title Vāsudevāmṛta-prada, meaning “one who delivered nectar to the leper Vāsudeva.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 7
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. bahumany
  2. stutiprayers
  3. kari’presenting
  4. kahesays
  5. śunakindly hear
  6. dayā-mayaO greatly merciful Lord
  7. jīvein the living entity
  8. eithis
3

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”

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 does Vāsudeva’s contrast between others’ rejection and the Lord’s touch teach you about the Lord’s mercy?

Practice

Reflect for one minute on Vāsudeva’s words, “Yet You have touched me.”

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord’s Independent MercyThis 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 7.144-145? Get an answer from the verses themselves.