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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

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

Antya 16.131 Antya 16.133

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 16.132

কৃষ্ণ যে খায় তাম্বূল, কহে তার নাহি মূল, তাহে আর দম্ভ-পরিপাটি ।

তার যেবা উদ্গার, তারে কয় ‘অমৃতসার’, গোপীর মুখ করে ‘আলবাটি’ ॥ ১৩২ ॥

kṛṣṇa ye khāya tāmbūla, kahe tāra nāhi mūla,

tāhe āra dambha-paripāṭī

tāra yebā udgāra, tāre kaya ‘amṛta-sāra’,

gopīra mukha kare ‘ālabāṭī’

Translation

“The betel chewed by Kṛṣṇa is priceless, and the remnants of such chewed betel from His mouth are said to be the essence of nectar. When the gopīs accept these remnants, their mouths become His spittoons.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Chewed Betel Is Priceless Nectar

1
The betel chewed by Kṛṣṇa is described as priceless.
2
The remnants from His mouth are called the essence of nectar.
3
When the gopīs accept these remnants, their mouths are described as His spittoons.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in Antya 16

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

kṛṣṇaLord Kṛṣṇa
yewhat
khāyachews
tāmbūlathe betel
kaheit is said
tāraof it
nāhithere is not
mūlaprice

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

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: “gopīs”

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

What does the word “priceless” help you understand about these remnants?

Practice

Write one sentence explaining why the betel remnants are treasured: they come from Kṛṣṇa’s mouth.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Chewed Betel Is Priceless NectarThis 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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