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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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Antya-līlā · 20 chapters

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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 19.95Antya 19.97

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 19.96

হরে নারীর তনুমন, নাসা করে ঘূর্ণন, খসায় নীবি, ছুটায় কেশবন্ধ ।

করিয়া আগে বাউরী, নাচায় জগৎ-নারী, হেন ডাকাতিয়া কৃষ্ণাঙ্গগন্ধ ॥ ৯৬ ॥

hare nārīra tanu-mana, nāsā kare ghūrṇana,

khasāya nīvi, chuṭāya keśa-bandha

kariyā āge bāurī, nācāya jagat-nārī,

hena ḍākātiyā kṛṣṇāṅga-gandha

Translation

“The scent of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body is so attractive that it enchants the bodies and minds of all women. It bewilders their nostrils, loosens their belts and hair, and makes them madwomen. All the women of the world come under its influence, and therefore the scent of Kṛṣṇa’s body is like a plunderer.

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 Scent Is Like a Plunderer

  1. 1

    The scent of Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body enchants the bodies and minds of all women.

  2. 2

    It bewilders their nostrils, loosens their belts and hair, and makes them madwomen.

  3. 3

    All the women of the world come under its influence. Because of this overpowering effect, His scent is compared to a plunderer.

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:

This chapter further describes how Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu entered the Jagannātha-vallabha garden during the full-moon night of Vaiśākha (April-May) and experienced various transcendental ecstasies. Overwhelmed with ecstatic love at suddenly seeing Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa beneath an aśoka tree, He exhibited various symptoms of spiritual madness.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 19
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. hareenchants
  2. nārīraof women
  3. tanu-manathe minds and bodies
  4. nāsāthe nostrils
  5. kare ghūrṇanabewilders
  6. khasāyaslackens
  7. nīvithe belt
  8. chuṭāyaloosens
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the comparison to a plunderer express the overwhelming force of Kṛṣṇa’s fragrance?

Practice

Write one sentence explaining the image of a plunderer using only the effects described in this verse.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Scent Is Like a PlundererThis 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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