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Study a Verse

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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 17.50

ভাবশাবল্যে রাধার উক্তি, লীলাশুকে হৈল স্ফূর্তি, সেই ভাবে পড়ে এক শ্লোক ।

উন্মাদের সামর্থ্যে, সেই শ্লোকের করে অর্থে, যেই অর্থ নাহি জানে লোক ॥ ৫০ ॥

bhāva-śābalye rādhāra ukti, līlā-śuke haila sphūrti,

sei bhāve paḍe eka śloka

unmādera sāmarthye, sei ślokera kare arthe,

yei artha nāhi jāne loka

Translation

The aggregate of all these ecstasies once awoke a statement by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in the mind of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura [Līlā-śuka]. In the same ecstatic mood, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu now recited that verse, and on the strength of madness He described its meaning, which is unknown to people in general.

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.

An Ecstatic Statement Reveals Hidden Meaning

  1. 1

    The combined ecstasies once awakened a statement by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī in the mind of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, also called Līlā-śuka.

  2. 2

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu recited that verse in the same ecstatic mood.

  3. 3

    On the strength of His ecstatic madness, He described its meaning, which is unknown to people in general.

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. bhāva-śābalyein the aggregate of all ecstasies
  2. rādhāraof Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī
  3. uktistatement
  4. līlā-śukein Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura
  5. hailathere was
  6. sphūrtiawakening
  7. sei bhāvein that ecstasy
  8. paḍerecites
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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”

  • 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: “madness”

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

How might this hidden depth encourage you to read His words with humility?

Practice

Pause before reading the next verse and remind yourself that its meaning is not easily understood.

Live this todayAn Ecstatic Statement Reveals Hidden MeaningThis 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 17.50? Get an answer from the verses themselves.