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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 20.28

প্রেমের স্বভাব — যাহাঁ প্রেমের সম্বন্ধ ।

সেই মানে, — ‘কৃষ্ণে মোর নাহি প্রেম-গন্ধ’ ॥ ২৮ ॥

premera svabhāva — yāhāṅ premera sambandha

sei māne, — ‘kṛṣṇe mora nāhi prema-gandha’

Translation

Wherever there is a relationship of love of Godhead, its natural symptom is that the devotee does not think himself a devotee. Instead, he always thinks that he has not even a drop of love for Kṛṣṇa.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serve More Rather Than Advertise Advancement

  1. 1

    A natural symptom of love of Godhead is that the devotee does not think himself a devotee. He feels that he has not even a drop of love for Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    The prākṛta-sahajiyās display external devotional symptoms to advertise supposed advancement. The purport warns against equating them with pure devotees.

  3. 3

    One who is actually advanced in ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa does not advertise himself. Instead, he endeavors more and more to render service to the Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura comments that persons who are actually very poor because they possess not even a drop of love of Godhead or pure devotional service falsely advertise themselves as great devotees, although they cannot at any time relish the transcendental bliss of devotional service.
  • The prākṛta-sahajiyās exhibit these symptoms to advertise their so-called advancement in love of Kṛṣṇa, but instead of praising the prākṛta-sahajiyās for their symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, pure devotees do not like to associate with them.
  • When one is actually advanced in ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa, he does not try to advertise himself.

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

How it feels

Unconditional devotion. Eight prayers move from cleansing the heart to love that endures even without reciprocation.

The mood of Antya 20 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 20: The Śikṣāṣṭaka Prayers

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

Sometimes He recited verses from Jayadeva Gosvāmī’s Gīta-govinda, from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya’s Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka or from Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura’s Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. In this way, He became absorbed in ecstatic emotions.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 20
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. premera svabhāvathe nature of love of Godhead
  2. yāhāṅwhere
  3. premera sambandhaa relationship of love of Godhead
  4. sei mānehe recognizes
  5. kṛṣṇeunto Lord Kṛṣṇa
  6. moramy
  7. nāhithere is not
  8. prema-gandhaeven a scent of love of Godhead
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Prema · Love of Godhead

    The culminating devotional purpose that unites the narration: bestowed, cultivated, taught, celebrated, and tasted. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “love of godhead”, “love for krsna”, “love of krsna”

  • Bhāva & rasa · The language of sacred feeling

    Transcendental devotional moods and relationships, discussed explicitly in Rāmānanda’s dialogue and the teachings on prema. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “relationship”

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “service”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where could you replace a desire to appear advanced with a sincere effort to serve?

Practice

Make one small effort in devotional service today without telling others to gain praise.

Live this todayServe More Rather Than Advertise AdvancementThis 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 20.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.