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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

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 4.61

প্রেমী ভক্ত বিয়োগে চাহে দেহ ছাড়িতে ।

প্রেমে কৃষ্ণ মিলে, সেহ না পারে মরিতে ॥ ৬১ ॥

premī bhakta viyoge cāhe deha chāḍite

preme kṛṣṇa mile, seha nā pāre marite

Translation

“Because of feelings of separation from Kṛṣṇa, an exalted devotee sometimes wants to give up his life. By such ecstatic love, however, one attains the audience of Kṛṣṇa, and at that time he cannot give up his body.

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.

Ecstatic Love Brings Kṛṣṇa’s Presence

  1. 1

    An exalted devotee may sometimes want to give up life because of separation from Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    It is the devotee’s ecstatic love that brings an audience with Kṛṣṇa. At that time, the devotee cannot give up the body.

  3. 3

    In context, this describes exalted love, not a method of attaining Kṛṣṇa through self-destruction.

How it feels

Despair met with care. Sanātana’s wish to die is interrupted by the Lord’s protective insistence on his future service.

The mood of Antya 4 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 4: Sanātana Gosvāmī Visits the Lord at Jagannātha Purī

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

One cannot get love of God simply by committing suicide. You have already dedicated your life and body to My service; therefore your body does not belong to you, nor do you have any right to commit suicide.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 4
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. premī bhaktaa devotee attached to Kṛṣṇa by love
  2. viyogein separation
  3. cāhewants
  4. deha chāḍiteto give up the body
  5. premeby such ecstatic love
  6. kṛṣṇa mileone meets Kṛṣṇa
  7. sehasuch a devotee
  8. nā pāre maritecannot die
3

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: “ecstatic love”

  • 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: “separation”

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 does this verse direct my attention toward love rather than giving up the body?

Practice

Reread the verse and identify what actually brings the devotee into Kṛṣṇa’s presence: ecstatic love.

Live this todayEcstatic Love Brings Kṛṣṇa’s PresenceThis 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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