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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 9: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Travels to the Holy Places
Madhya 9.238Madhya 9.241

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Madhya 9.239-240

সিদ্ধান্ত-শাস্ত্র নাহি ‘ব্রহ্মসংহিতা’র সম ।

গোবিন্দমহিমা জ্ঞানের পরম কারণ ॥ ২৩৯ ॥

siddhānta-śāstra nāhi ‘brahma-saṁhitā’ra sama

govinda-mahimā jñānera parama kāraṇa

Translation

There is no scripture equal to the Brahma-saṁhitā as far as the final spiritual conclusion is concerned. Indeed, that scripture is the supreme revelation of the glories of Lord Govinda, for it reveals the topmost knowledge about Him. Since all conclusions are briefly presented in the Brahma-saṁhitā, it is essential among all the Vaiṣṇava literatures.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Brahma-saṁhitā Reveals the Glories of Govinda

  1. 1

    The Brahma-saṁhitā is the supreme revelation of the glories of Lord Govinda. Its brief presentation of spiritual conclusions makes it essential among Vaiṣṇava literatures.

  2. 2

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu acquired its fifth chapter from the Ādi-keśava temple. This chapter presents acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, simultaneous oneness and difference.

  3. 3

    The chapter explains methods and steps of devotional service, love of Godhead, and the spiritual world, specifically Goloka Vṛndāvana. It also describes the vision of transcendental love that enables one to see the Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • The chapter also presents methods of devotional service, the eighteen-syllable Vedic hymn, discourses on the soul, the Supersoul and fruitive activity, an explanation of Kāma-gāyatrī, kāma-bīja and the original Mahā-Viṣṇu, and a detailed description of the spiritual world, specifically Goloka Vṛndāvana.
  • The steps of devotional service are also explained.
  • The mind, yoga-nidrā, the goddess of fortune, devotional service in spontaneous ecstasy, incarnations beginning with Lord Rāmacandra, Deities, the conditioned soul and its duties, the truth about Lord Viṣṇu, prayers, Vedic hymns, Lord Śiva, the Vedic literature, personalism and impersonalism, good behavior, and many other subjects are also discussed.

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

Wonder and inclusion. Meetings across sacred places display the broad reach of devotional mercy.

The mood of Madhya 9 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 9: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Travels to the Holy Places

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

The Lord also collected the Brahma-saṁhitā, fifth chapter, on the banks of the Payasvinī River. He then visited Payasvinī, Śṛṅgavera-purī-maṭha and Matsya-tīrtha.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 9
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. siddhānta-śāstraconclusive scripture
  2. nāhithere is not
  3. brahma-saṁhitāra samalike the scripture Brahma-saṁhitā
  4. govinda-mahimāof the glories of Lord Govinda
  5. jñāneraof knowledge
  6. paramafinal
  7. kāraṇacause
  8. alpa-akṣarebriefly
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Prema · Love of Godhead

    The culminating devotional purpose that unites the narration: bestowed, cultivated, taught, celebrated, and tasted. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “love of godhead”

  • 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”

  • Vraja-smaraṇa · Remembrance of Vṛndāvana

    The remembered sweetness of Vraja that colors Mahāprabhu’s pilgrimage, Ratha-yātrā, and later states of separation. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “vṛndāvana”

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

Which subject described in the Brahma-saṁhitā would you most like to understand?

Practice

Choose one subject named in the purport and write a question about it for further study.

Live this todayBrahma-saṁhitā Reveals the Glories of GovindaThis 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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