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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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Madhya-līlā · 25 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 Madhya 13.141

নহে গোপী যোগেশ্বর,     পদকমল তোমার,

ধ্যান করি’ পাইবে সন্তোষ ।

তোমার বাক্য-পরিপাটী,     তার মধ্যে কুটিনাটী,

শুনি’ গোপীর আরো বাঢ়ে রোষ ॥ ১৪১ ॥

nahe gopī yogeśvara, pada-kamala tomāra,

dhyāna kari’ pāibe santoṣa

tomāra vākya-paripāṭī, tāra madhye kuṭināṭī,

śuni’ gopīra āro bāḍhe roṣa

Translation

“The gopīs are not like the mystic yogīs. They will never be satisfied simply by meditating on Your lotus feet and imitating the so-called yogīs. Teaching the gopīs about meditation is another kind of duplicity. When they are instructed to undergo mystic yoga practice, they are not at all satisfied. On the contrary, they become more and more angry with You.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Meditation Alone Cannot Satisfy the Gopīs

  1. 1

    The gopīs are not like mystic yogīs. Simply meditating on Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet does not satisfy them.

  2. 2

    They do not wish to imitate the so-called yogīs. Teaching them meditation is described here as another kind of duplicity.

  3. 3

    Instructions to undertake mystic yoga do not ease their dissatisfaction. Instead, they become increasingly angry with Kṛṣṇa.

How it feels

Public ecstasy with inward longing. The festival’s collective joy carries the profound Vraja mood of meeting and separation.

The mood of Madhya 13 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 13: The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yātrā

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

Along that road the servants called gauḍas began to pull the cars. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu divided His saṅkīrtana party into seven divisions.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 13
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. nahenot
  2. gopīgopīs
  3. yogeśvaramasters of mystic yoga practice
  4. pada-kamala tomāraYour lotus feet
  5. dhyāna kari’by meditation
  6. pāibe santoṣawe get satisfaction
  7. tomāraYour
  8. vākyawords
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Vraja-smaraṇa · Remembrance of Vṛndāvana

    The remembered sweetness of Vraja that colors Mahāprabhu’s pilgrimage, Ratha-yātrā, and later states of separation. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “gopīs”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

    Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “lotus feet”

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 does the gopīs’ response show about the limits of these instructions for them?

Practice

Write one sentence explaining why meditation instructions do not satisfy the gopīs in this verse.

Live this todayMeditation Alone Cannot Satisfy the GopīsThis 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 Madhya 13.141? Get an answer from the verses themselves.