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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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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 16: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Tastes Nectar from the Lips of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Antya 16.120Antya 16.123

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Antya 16.121-122

তনু-মন করায় ক্ষোভ, বাড়ায় সুরত-লোভ, হর্ষ-শোকাদি-ভার বিনাশয় ।

পাসরায় অন্য রস, জগৎ করে আত্মবশ, লজ্জা, ধর্ম, ধৈর্য করে ক্ষয় ॥ ১২১ ॥

tanu-mana karāya kṣobha, bāḍāya surata-lobha,

harṣa-śokādi-bhāra vināśaya

pāsarāya anya rasa, jagat kare ātma-vaśa,

lajjā, dharma, dhairya kare kṣaya

Translation

“My dear lover,” Lord Caitanya said in the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, “let Me describe some of the characteristics of Your transcendental lips. They agitate the mind and body of everyone, they increase lusty desires for enjoyment, they destroy the burden of material happiness and lamentation, and they make one forget all material tastes. The whole world falls under their control. They vanquish shame, religion and patience, especially in women. Indeed, they inspire madness in the minds of all women. Your lips increase the greed of the tongue and thus attract it. Considering all this, We see that the activities of Your transcendental lips are always paradoxical.

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.

The Paradoxical Power of Kṛṣṇa’s Lips

  1. 1

    Lord Caitanya speaks in the mood of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, addressing Kṛṣṇa as Her dear lover. His transcendental lips agitate the mind and body and increase desires for enjoyment.

  2. 2

    Those lips destroy the burden of material happiness and lamentation and make one forget all material tastes. The whole world falls under their control.

  3. 3

    They vanquish shame, religion, and patience, especially in women, while inspiring madness and increasing the tongue’s longing. Their activities are therefore described as always paradoxical.

How it feels

Sweetness amidst longing. Jagannātha’s prasādam awakens intense awareness of Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness.

The mood of Antya 16 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 16: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Tastes Nectar from the Lips of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

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

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate the remnants of food known as vallabha-bhoga, He described the glories of such remnants of the Lord’s food and then fed all the devotees the prasādam. Thus they all tasted adharāmṛta, the nectar from the lips of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 16
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. tanubody
  2. manamind
  3. karāyacause
  4. kṣobhaagitation
  5. bāḍāyaincrease
  6. surata-lobhalusty desires for enjoyment
  7. harṣaof jubilation
  8. śokalamentation
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: “lamentation”, “madness”, “longing”

  • 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”

  • 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.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What contrast do you notice between increasing longing and making material tastes disappear?

Practice

Write down one paradox described here, keeping in mind that Lord Caitanya is speaking in Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s mood.

Live this todayThe Paradoxical Power of Kṛṣṇa’s LipsThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Antya 16.121-122? Get an answer from the verses themselves.