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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

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.

Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Antya-līlā · Chapter 10: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Accepts Prasādam from His Devotees

Antya 10.20 Antya 10.22

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 10.21

প্রিয়েণ সংগ্রথ্য বিপক্ষ-সন্নিধা- বুপাহিতাং বক্ষসি পীবরস্তনী ।

স্রজং ন কাচিদ্বিজহৌ জলাবিলাং বসন্তি হি প্রেম্ণি গুণা ন বস্তুনি ॥ ২১ ॥

priyeṇa saṅgrathya vipakṣa-sannidhāv

upāhitāṁ vakṣasi pīvara-stanī

srajaṁ na kācid vijahau jalāvilāṁ

vasanti hi premṇi guṇā na vastuni

Translation

“A dear lover strung a garland and placed it on the shoulder of his beloved in the presence of her co-wives. She had raised breasts and was very beautiful, yet although the garland was tainted with mud, she did not reject it, for its value lay not in material things but in love.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Love Gives a Gift Its Value

1
A dear lover strung a garland and placed it on his beloved’s shoulder in the presence of her co-wives.
2
Although the garland was tainted with mud, she did not reject it. Its value lay in love, not in material things.
3
The purport identifies this quotation as a verse from the Kirātārjunīya, by Bhāravī.

Key points from the purport

This is a verse from the Kirātārjunīya, by Bhāravī.

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

Tender service. Food prepared and carried with love becomes a medium of intimate exchange.

The mood of Antya 10 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Antya 10: Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Accepts Prasādam from His Devotees

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

Rāghava Paṇḍita brought with him various kinds of food for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The food had been cooked by his sister, Damayantī, who then packed it in bags ( jhāli ).

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Antya 10

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

priyeṇaby the lover
saṅgrathyaafter stringing
vipakṣa-sannidhauin the presence of an opposite party
upāhitāmplaced
vakṣasion the chest
pīvara-stanīhaving raised breasts
srajama garland
nanot

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: “lover”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I notice the love behind a gift, even when the gift is imperfect?

Practice

Thank someone today for the care behind a gift or kind act, rather than focusing on its outward value.

Live this todayLove Gives a Gift Its ValueThis 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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