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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 17: The Bodily Transformations of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Antya 17.45Antya 17.47

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 17.46

যেবা বেণু-কলধ্বনি, একবার তাহা শুনি’, জগন্নারী-চিত্ত আউলায় ।

নীবি-বন্ধ পড়ে খসি’, বিনা-মূলে হয় দাসী, বাউলী হঞা কৃষ্ণ-পাশে ধায় ॥ ৪৬ ॥

yebā veṇu-kala-dhvani, eka-bāra tāhā śuni’,

jagan-nārī-citta āulāya

nīvi-bandha paḍe khasi’, vinā-mūle haya dāsī,

bāulī hañā kṛṣṇa-pāśe dhāya

Translation

“The transcendental vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute disturbs the hearts of women all over the world, even if they hear it only once. Thus their fastened belts become loose, and these women become the unpaid maidservants of Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, they run toward Kṛṣṇa exactly like madwomen.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Flute Draws Hearts Toward Him

  1. 1

    The transcendental vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute disturbs the hearts of women throughout the world, even when heard only once.

  2. 2

    Their fastened belts become loose as the sound overwhelms them.

  3. 3

    They become Kṛṣṇa’s unpaid maidservants and run toward Him like madwomen, wholly overcome by attraction.

How it feels

Inconceivable ecstatic absorption. The Lord’s overwhelming love manifests extraordinary bodily changes.

The mood of Antya 17 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 17: The Bodily Transformations of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Śrīla Prabhupāda's summary of this chapter:

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gives the following summary of the seventeenth chapter in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya. Absorbed in transcendental ecstasy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went out one night without opening the doors to His room. After crossing over three walls, He fell down among some cows belonging to the district of Tailaṅga. There He remained unconscious, assuming the aspect of a tortoise.
Back to this verse in Antya 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. yebāwhoever
  2. veṇuof the flute
  3. kala-dhvanithe sweet vibration
  4. eka-bāraonce
  5. tāhāthat
  6. śuni’hearing
  7. jagatof the universe
  8. nārīof the women
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does becoming an unpaid maidservant suggest about the attraction awakened by Kṛṣṇa’s flute?

Practice

Pause over the phrase “unpaid maidservants of Kṛṣṇa” and write one sentence about service without seeking payment.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Flute Draws Hearts Toward HimThis 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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