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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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Antya-līlā · 20 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 ›
Antya-līlā · Chapter 1: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Second Meeting with the Lord
Antya 1.162Antya 1.164

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 1.163

সখি মুরলি বিশালচ্ছিদ্রজালেন পূর্ণা লঘুরতিকঠিনা ত্বং গ্রন্থিলা নীরসাসি ।

তদপি ভজসি শশ্বচ্চুম্বনানন্দসান্দ্রং হরিকরপরিরম্ভং কেন পুণ্যোদয়েন ॥ ১৬৩ ॥

sakhi murali viśāla-cchidra-jālena pūrṇā

laghur ati-kaṭhinā tvaṁ granthilā nīrasāsi

tad api bhajasi śaśvac cumbanānanda-sāndraṁ

hari-kara-parirambhaṁ kena puṇyodayena

Translation

“ ‘My dear friend the flute, you are actually full of many holes or faults. You are light, hard, juiceless and full of knots. But what kind of pious activities have engaged you in the service of being kissed by the Lord and embraced by His hands?’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Flute’s Extraordinary Fortune in Service

  1. 1

    Candrāvalī-sakhī, the gopī competitor of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, addresses the flute as her dear friend.

  2. 2

    She describes it as full of holes or faults, light, hard, juiceless and full of knots.

  3. 3

    Yet the flute is kissed by the Lord and embraced by His hands. She wonders what pious activities have brought it this service.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse (Vidagdha-mādhava 4.7) is spoken by Candrāvalī-sakhī, the gopī competitor of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

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

Recognition and encouragement. Rūpa’s devotional insight receives the Lord’s approval; even a dog receives mercy.

The mood of Antya 1 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 1: Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Second Meeting with the Lord

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

One day Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Rāmānanda Rāya, Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and others went to the place of Haridāsa Ṭhākura and heard some of the verses Rūpa Gosvāmī had composed for his books Lalita-mādhava and Vidagdha-mādhava. After examining the manuscripts of these two books, Rāmānanda Rāya approved and appreciated them very much.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 1
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sakhi muraliO dear friend the flute
  2. viśāla-chidra-jālenawith so many big holes in your body (in other words, full of chidra, which also means “faults”)
  3. pūrṇāfull
  4. laghuḥvery light
  5. ati-kaṭhināvery hard in constitution
  6. tvamyou
  7. granthilāfull of knots
  8. nīrasāwithout juice
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: “embraced”

  • 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”

  • Rādhā-bhāva · The confidential inner purpose

    The Lord’s desire to taste the love and perspective of Śrī Rādhā, illuminated by later ecstatic pastimes. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “rādhārāṇī”

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 strikes you about the contrast between the flute’s faults and its intimate service?

Practice

Reread the verse and briefly reflect on the flute’s good fortune in serving the Lord.

Live this todayThe Flute’s Extraordinary Fortune in ServiceThis 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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