1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Antya-līlā · 20 chapters

1234567891011121314151617181920
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 16.139Antya 16.141

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 16.140

গোপ্যঃ কিমাচরদয়ং কুশলং স্ম বেণু- র্দামোদরাধরসুধামপি গোপিকানাম্ ।

ভুঙ্ক্তে স্বয়ং যদবশিষ্টরসং হ্রদিন্যো হৃষ্যত্ত্বচোঽশ্রু মুমুচুস্তরবো যথার্যাঃ ॥ ১৪০ ॥

gopyaḥ kim ācarad ayaṁ kuśalaṁ sma veṇur

dāmodarādhara-sudhām api gopikānām

bhuṅkte svayaṁ yad avaśiṣṭa-rasaṁ hradinyo

hṛṣyat-tvaco ’śru mumucus taravo yathāryāḥ

Translation

“ ‘My dear gopīs, what auspicious activities must the flute have performed to enjoy the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips independently and leave only a taste for us gopīs, for whom that nectar is actually meant. The forefathers of the flute, the bamboo trees, shed tears of pleasure. His mother, the river on whose bank the bamboo was born, feels jubilation, and therefore her blooming lotus flowers are standing like hair on her body.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Gopīs Praise the Flute’s Fortune

  1. 1

    As autumn began in Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa was tending the cows and playing His flute. The gopīs began to praise Him and discuss the flute’s fortunate position.

  2. 2

    The gopīs wondered what auspicious activities allowed the flute to enjoy the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s lips independently, leaving only a taste for them.

  3. 3

    They described the bamboo trees as the flute’s forefathers shedding tears of pleasure. The river, his mother, expressed jubilation through blooming lotus flowers standing like raised hairs.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse, quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.9), is part of a discussion the gopīs had among themselves.
  • As the autumn season began in Vṛndāvana, Lord Kṛṣṇa was tending the cows and blowing on His flute.
  • The gopīs then began to praise Kṛṣṇa and discuss the fortunate position of His flute.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Antya 16.140 quotesSB 10.21.9

This verse, quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.9), is part of a discussion the gopīs had among themselves.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. gopyaḥO gopīs
  2. kimwhat
  3. ācaratperformed
  4. ayamthis
  5. kuśalamauspicious activities
  6. smacertainly
  7. veṇuḥflute
  8. dāmodaraof Kṛṣṇa
3

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”, “vṛndāvana”

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “discuss”

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 do the gopīs’ descriptions reveal about how deeply they value contact with Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Choose one image from this verse and spend a minute reflecting on the joy it expresses.

Live this todayThe Gopīs Praise the Flute’s FortuneThis 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 16.140? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters