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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 15: The Transcendental Madness of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Antya 15.64Antya 15.66

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 15.65

কহ, সখি, কি করি উপায় ? কৃষ্ণাদ্ভুত বলাহক, মোর নেত্র-চাতক, না দেখি’ পিয়াসে মরি’ যায় ।। ৬৫ ।। ধ্রু ।। ॥ ৬৫ ॥

kaha, sakhi, ki kari upāya?

kṛṣṇādbhuta balāhaka, mora netra-cātaka,

nā dekhi’ piyāse mari’ yāya

Translation

“My dear friend, please tell Me what I should do. Kṛṣṇa is as attractive as a wonderful cloud, and My eyes are just like cātaka birds, which are dying of thirst because they do not see such a cloud.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Eyes Thirsting for the Sight of Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is as attractive as a wonderful cloud.

  2. 2

    The speaker compares His eyes to cātaka birds dying of thirst because they cannot see that cloud.

  3. 3

    He turns to a dear friend for guidance, asking what He should do in this longing for Kṛṣṇa.

How it feels

Absorbed searching. The Lord lives the gopīs’ search for Kṛṣṇa with ecstatic transformations.

The mood of Antya 15 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 15: The Transcendental Madness of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

On the night of the rāsa dance, the gopīs, bereaved by Kṛṣṇa’s absence, searched for Kṛṣṇa from one forest to another. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu adopted the same transcendental thoughts as those of the gopīs and was filled with ecstatic emotion.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 15
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kahaplease tell
  2. sakhiMy dear friend
  3. ki kari upāyawhat shall I do
  4. kṛṣṇaKṛṣṇa
  5. adbhutawonderful
  6. balāhakacloud
  7. moraMy
  8. netraeyes
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Vipralambha · Love in separation

    Separation that intensifies remembrance and longing; especially central to the confidential pastimes at Purī. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “longing”

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 the image of thirsty cātaka birds help you understand about longing to see Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read the verse slowly once, pausing over the comparison between the eyes and thirsty cātaka birds.

Live this todayEyes Thirsting for the Sight of KṛṣṇaThis 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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