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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 19: The Inconceivable Behavior of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Antya 19.47Antya 19.49

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 19.48

অরে বিধি অকরুণ, দেখাঞা কৃষ্ণানন, নেত্র-মন লোভাইলা মোর ।

ক্ষণেকে করিতে পান, কাড়ি’ নিলা অন্য স্থান, পাপ কৈলি ‘দত্ত-অপহার’ ॥ ৪৮ ॥

are vidhi akaruṇa, dekhāñā kṛṣṇānana,

netra-mana lobhāilā mora

kṣaṇeke karite pāna, kāḍi’ nilā anya sthāna,

pāpa kaili ‘datta-apahāra’

Translation

“O Providence, you are so unkind! You reveal the beautiful face of Kṛṣṇa and make the mind and eyes greedy, but after they have drunk that nectar for only a moment, you whisk Kṛṣṇa away to another place. This is a great sin because you thus take away what you have given as charity.

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.

A Glimpse of Kṛṣṇa Deepens Longing

  1. 1

    Providence reveals Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful face and makes the mind and eyes greedy for it.

  2. 2

    After they drink that nectar for only a moment, Providence takes Kṛṣṇa to another place. The brief sight leaves an intense desire for more.

  3. 3

    The speaker calls this a great sin, comparing it to taking back something given in charity. The complaint expresses the pain of losing a gift already received.

How it feels

Longing beyond ordinary categories. Extreme separation alternates with moments of visionary encounter.

The mood of Antya 19 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 19: The Inconceivable Behavior of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu read it, His ecstasy was so great that all the devotees feared that the Lord would very soon pass away. The Lord’s condition was so serious that at night He would bruise and bloody His face by rubbing it against the walls.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 19
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. areoh
  2. vidhiProvidence
  3. akaruṇamost unkind
  4. dekhāñāshowing
  5. kṛṣṇa-ānanathe beautiful face of Kṛṣṇa
  6. netra-manamind and eyes
  7. lobhāilāhave made greedy
  8. moraMy
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the image of a gift taken back reveal about the speaker’s sorrow?

Practice

Pause over the phrase “the beautiful face of Kṛṣṇa” and reflect on why even a moment’s sight is described as nectar.

Live this todayA Glimpse of Kṛṣṇa Deepens LongingThis 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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