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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 1.168Antya 1.170

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 1.169

বলাদক্ষ্ণোর্লক্ষ্মীঃ কবলয়তি নব্যং কুবলয়ং মুখোল্লাসঃ ফুল্লং কমলবনমুল্লঙ্ঘয়তি চ ।

দশাং কষ্টামষ্টাপদমপি নয়ত্যাঙ্গিকরুচি- র্বিচিত্রং রাধায়াঃ কিমপি কিল রূপং বিলসতি ॥ ১৬৯ ॥

balād akṣṇor lakṣmīḥ kavalayati navyaṁ kuvalayaṁ

mukhollāsaḥ phullaṁ kamala-vanam ullaṅghayati ca

daśāṁ kaṣṭām aṣṭāpadam api nayaty āṅgika-rucir

vicitraṁ rādhāyāḥ kim api kila rūpaṁ vilasati

Translation

“ ‘The beauty of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s eyes forcibly devours the beauty of newly grown blue lotus flowers, and the beauty of Her face surpasses that of an entire forest of fully blossomed lotuses. Her bodily luster seems to place even gold into a painful situation. Thus the wonderful, unprecedented beauty of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is awakening in Vṛndāvana.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Rādhārāṇī’s Unprecedented Beauty Awakens in Vṛndāvana

  1. 1

    Paurṇamāsī describes Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s eyes as forcibly devouring the beauty of newly grown blue lotus flowers.

  2. 2

    Her face surpasses an entire forest of fully blossomed lotuses, and Her bodily luster seems to put even gold into a painful situation.

  3. 3

    This wonderful, unprecedented beauty of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is awakening in Vṛndāvana.

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. balātby force
  2. akṣṇoḥof the two eyes
  3. lakṣmīḥthe beauty
  4. kavalayatidevours
  5. navyamnewly awakened
  6. kuvalayamlotus flower
  7. mukha-ullāsaḥthe beauty of the face
  8. phullamfructified
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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’s”

  • 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

What do the comparisons with lotuses and gold help you appreciate about Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī?

Practice

Write down one comparison from the verse and the feature of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī it describes.

Live this todayRādhārāṇī’s Unprecedented Beauty Awakens in VṛndāvanaThis 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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