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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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Madhya-līlā · 25 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 ›
Madhya-līlā · Chapter 1: The Later Pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Madhya 1.57Madhya 1.59

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 1.58

যঃ কৌমারহরঃ স এব হি বরস্তা এব চৈত্রক্ষপা-

স্তে চোন্মীলিতমালতীসুরভয়ঃ প্রৌঢ়াঃ কদম্বানিলাঃ ।

সা চৈবাস্মি তথাপি তত্র সুরতব্যাপারলীলাবিধৌ

রেবারোধসি বেতসীতরুতলে চেতঃ সমুৎকণ্ঠতে ॥ ৫৮ ॥

yaḥ kaumāra-haraḥ sa eva hi varas tā eva caitra-kṣapās

te conmīlita-mālatī-surabhayaḥ prauḍhāḥ kadambānilāḥ

sā caivāsmi tathāpi tatra surata-vyāpāra-līlā-vidhau

revā-rodhasi vetasī-taru-tale cetaḥ samutkaṇṭhate

Translation

“That very personality who stole away my heart during my youth is now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the month of Caitra. The same fragrance of mālatī flowers is there, and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba forest. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the bank of the Revā under the Vetasī tree. That is my desire.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Reunion Still Leaves Longing for That Place

  1. 1

    The speaker is reunited with the same beloved who stole the speaker’s heart in youth.

  2. 2

    The moonlit nights of Caitra, fragrant mālatī flowers, and sweet breezes from the kadamba forest are the same. Yet the speaker’s mind remains unhappy there.

  3. 3

    The desire is to return to the bank of the Revā under the Vetasī tree. The purport identifies this verse as part of the Padyāvalī, compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse appears in the Padyāvalī (386), an anthology of verses compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

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

Anticipation and hidden longing. The author previews later pastimes, including the inner Vraja mood expressed at Ratha-yātrā.

The mood of Madhya 1 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 1: The Later Pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

In this chapter there is a summary description of all the pastimes performed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu during the middle period of His activities as well as the six years at the end of His activities. All of these are described in brief.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 1
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. yaḥthat same person who
  2. kaumāra-haraḥthe thief of my heart during youth
  3. saḥhe
  4. eva hicertainly
  5. varaḥlover
  6. tāḥthese
  7. evacertainly
  8. caitra-kṣapāḥmoonlit nights of the month of Caitra
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: “lover”

  • 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”

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

What contrast do you notice between the familiar surroundings and the speaker’s unfulfilled desire?

Practice

Read the verse slowly and identify the particular place the speaker longs to return to.

Live this todayReunion Still Leaves Longing for That PlaceThis 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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