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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 8.251

‘শ্রেয়ো-মধ্যে কোন্ শ্রেয়ঃ জীবের হয় সার?’

‘কৃষ্ণভক্ত-সঙ্গ বিনা শ্রেয়ঃ নাহি আর ॥’ ২৫১ ॥

‘śreyo-madhye kona śreyaḥ jīvera haya sāra?’

‘kṛṣṇa-bhakta-saṅga vinā śreyaḥ nāhi āra’

Translation

Then Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Out of all auspicious and beneficial activities, which is best for the living entity?”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Associate with the Devotees of Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asks which auspicious and beneficial activity is best for the living entity.

  2. 2

    Rāmānanda Rāya answers that it is association with the devotees of Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    He calls this association the only auspicious activity.

Key points from the purport
  • Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “The only auspicious activity is association with the devotees of Kṛṣṇa.”

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

How it feels

Deepening intimacy and revelation. Their exchange ascends from duty to pure love and the confidential moods of Vraja.

The mood of Madhya 8 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 8: Talks Between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya

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

After some days, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Rāmānanda Rāya to retire from government service and come to Jagannātha Purī. These descriptions of the meetings between Rāmānanda Rāya and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are taken from the notebook of Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 8
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. śreyaḥ-madhyeamong beneficial activities
  2. konawhich
  3. śreyaḥbeneficial function
  4. jīveraof the living entity
  5. hayais
  6. sārathe essence
  7. kṛṣṇa-bhakta-saṅgafor associating with the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa
  8. vināexcept
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “association”

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

How can you make room for association with devotees of Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Arrange a brief conversation with a devotee of Kṛṣṇa today.

Live this todayAssociate with the Devotees of KṛṣṇaThis 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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