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Search the 62 chapters by feeling, theme or devotional concept, then read the key verses in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation.
62 chapters found
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12 verses to read in full
Each one is Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation, with a short study note. Open it to read the Bengali, word meanings and purport points.
The Lord’s desire to appear was born from two reasons: the Lord wanted to taste the sweet essence of the mellows of love of God, and He wanted to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous attraction. Thus He is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of all.
Study note: The two linked purposes: relishing loving mellows and spreading devotional service through spontaneous attraction.
“O My Lord! O most merciful master! O master of Mathurā! When shall I see You again? Because of My not seeing You, My agitated heart has become unsteady. O most beloved one, what shall I do now?”
Study note: Mādhavendra Purī’s prayer of unbearable longing for the Lord of Mathurā.
“ ‘That very personality who stole away my heart during my youth is now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the month of Caitra. The same fragrance of mālatī flowers is there, and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba forest. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the bank of the Revā under the Vetasī tree. That is my desire.’”
Study note: A poetic expression of the desire to return to the former place of intimate association, used within the Ratha-yātrā narration.
“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.
Study note: The seed of the bhakti creeper received by the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa.
“ ‘Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.’
Study note: The first Śikṣāṣṭaka prayer: glory of nāma-saṅkīrtana and purification of the heart.
“ ‘My Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, in Your holy name there is all good fortune for the living entity, and therefore You have many names, such as “Kṛṣṇa” and “Govinda,” by which You expand Yourself. You have invested all Your potencies in those names, and there are no hard and fast rules for remembering them. My dear Lord, although You bestow such mercy upon the fallen, conditioned souls by liberally teaching Your holy names, I am so unfortunate that I commit offenses while chanting the holy name, and therefore I do not achieve attachment for chanting.’
Study note: The second prayer: the gift of the divine names and the speaker’s lack of attachment.
“ ‘One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor but is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.’
Study note: The third prayer: humility, tolerance, honoring others, and continual chanting.
“ ‘O Lord of the universe, I do not desire material wealth, materialistic followers, a beautiful wife or fruitive activities described in flowery language. All I want, life after life, is unmotivated devotional service to You.’
Study note: The fourth prayer: asking for devotion free from worldly gains.
“ ‘O My Lord, O Kṛṣṇa, son of Mahārāja Nanda, I am Your eternal servant, but because of My own fruitive acts I have fallen into this horrible ocean of nescience. Now please be causelessly merciful to Me. Consider Me a particle of dust at Your lotus feet.’
Study note: The fifth prayer: identifying oneself as Kṛṣṇa’s servant and seeking shelter.
“ ‘My dear Lord, when will My eyes be beautified by filling with tears that constantly glide down as I chant Your holy name? When will My voice falter and all the hairs on My body stand erect in transcendental happiness as I chant Your holy name?’
Study note: The sixth prayer: longing for deeply felt devotion during the chanting of the name.
“ ‘My Lord Govinda, because of separation from You, I consider even a moment a great millennium. Tears flow from My eyes like torrents of rain, and I see the entire world as void.’
Study note: The seventh prayer: the intense experience of separation.
“ ‘Let Kṛṣṇa tightly embrace this maidservant who has fallen at His lotus feet, or let Him trample Me or break My heart by never being visible to Me. He is a debauchee, after all, and can do whatever He likes, but still He alone, and no one else, is the worshipable Lord of My heart.’
Study note: The eighth prayer: fidelity to Kṛṣṇa despite presence or absence.
Search covers chapter titles, feelings, themes and concept names — not every verse or purport. To search the verses themselves, use Ask Caitanya Caritamrta.
Concept links, journeys and bridges are an editorial study map. Only the verses — in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation — are the text itself. Prema, bhāva, mahābhāva and vipralambha are devotional terms, not psychological labels.