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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 1.170Antya 1.172

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 1.171

প্রমদরসতরঙ্গস্মেরগণ্ডস্থলায়াঃ স্মরধনুরনুবন্ধিভ্রূলতা-লাস্যভাজঃ ।

মদকলচলভৃঙ্গীভ্রান্তিভঙ্গীং দধানো হৃদয়মিদমদাঙক্ষীৎ পক্ষ্মলাক্ষ্যাঃ কটাক্ষঃ ॥ ১৭১ ॥

pramada-rasa-taraṅga-smera-gaṇḍa-sthalāyāḥ

smara-dhanur anubandhi-bhrū-latā-lāsya-bhājaḥ

mada-kala-cala-bhṛṅgī-bhrānti-bhaṅgīṁ dadhāno

hṛdayam idam adāṅkṣīt pakṣmalākṣyāḥ kaṭākṣaḥ

Translation

“ ‘When Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī smiles, waves of joy flow over Her cheeks, and Her arched eyebrows dance like the bow of Cupid. Her glance is so enchanting that it is like a dancing bumblebee moving unsteadily due to intoxication. That bee has bitten the whorl of My heart.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Rādhārāṇī’s Glance Enchants Kṛṣṇa’s Heart

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa speaks this verse from the Vidagdha-mādhava.

  2. 2

    He describes waves of joy flowing over Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s cheeks as She smiles. Her arched eyebrows dance like the bow of Cupid.

  3. 3

    Her enchanting glance is compared to an intoxicated, dancing bumblebee. Kṛṣṇa says that this bee has bitten the whorl of His heart.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse from the Vidagdha-mādhava (2.51) is also spoken by Lord 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

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. pramadaof joy
  2. rasa-taraṅgaby the continuous waves of the mellow
  3. smeramildly smiling
  4. gaṇḍa-sthalāyāḥwhose cheeks
  5. smara-dhanuḥthe bow of Cupid
  6. anubandhirelated with
  7. bhrū-latāof the arched eyebrows
  8. lāsyadancing
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”, “rādhārāṇī’s”

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 does Kṛṣṇa’s description reveal about how deeply Rādhārāṇī’s glance moves Him?

Practice

Read the verse slowly once, attending to Kṛṣṇa’s description of Rādhārāṇī’s smile and glance.

Live this todayRādhārāṇī’s Glance Enchants Kṛṣṇa’s HeartThis 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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