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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

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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 13: The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yātrā
Madhya 13.149Madhya 13.151

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 13.150

ব্রজবাসী যত জন,     মাতা, পিতা, সখাগণ,

সবে হয় মোর প্রাণসম ।

তাঁর মধ্যে গোপীগণ,     সাক্ষাৎ মোর জীবন,

তুমি মোর জীবনের জীবন ॥ ১৫০ ॥

vraja-vāsī yata jana, mātā, pitā, sakhā-gaṇa,

sabe haya mora prāṇa-sama

tāṅra madhye gopī-gaṇa, sākṣāt mora jīvana,

tumi mora jīvanera jīvana

Translation

Śrī Kṛṣṇa continued: “All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana-dhāma — My mother, father, cowherd boyfriends and everything else — are like My life and soul. And among all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, the gopīs are My very life and soul. And among the gopīs, You, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, are the chief. Therefore You are the very life of My life.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī Is Kṛṣṇa’s Very Life

  1. 1

    All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana are like Kṛṣṇa’s life and soul, especially the gopīs. Chief among them, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the very life of His life.

  2. 2

    Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the center of all Vṛndāvana’s activities and its Queen. Kṛṣṇa is Her instrument and decoration, and the inhabitants still chant “Jaya Rādhe!”

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is Madana-mohana, the enchanter of Cupid, but Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī enchants Kṛṣṇa. She is therefore called Madana-mohana-mohinī, the enchanter of the enchanter of Cupid.

Key points from the purport
  • In Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇa is the instrument of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī; therefore all the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana still chant “Jaya Rādhe!”
  • Kṛṣṇa is known as Madana-mohana, the enchanter of Cupid, but Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is the enchanter of Kṛṣṇa.
  • Consequently Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is called Madana-mohana-mohinī, the enchanter of the enchanter of Cupid.

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

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:

With two mṛdaṅgas in each division, there were altogether fourteen mṛdaṅgas. While performing kīrtana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu exhibited various symptoms of transcendental ecstasy, and Jagannātha and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu exchanged Their feelings very blissfully.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 13
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. vraja-vāsī yata janaall the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana-dhāma
  2. mātāmother
  3. pitāfather
  4. sakhā-gaṇaboyfriends
  5. sabeall
  6. hayaare
  7. mora prāṇa-samaas good as My life
  8. tāṅra madhyeamong them
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: “vṛndāvana-dhāma”, “gopīs”, “cowherd”

  • Rādhā-bhāva · The confidential inner purpose

    The Lord’s desire to taste the love and perspective of Śrī Rādhā, illuminated by later ecstatic pastimes. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “rādhārāṇī”

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chant”

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 Kṛṣṇa’s phrase “the very life of My life” reveal about Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī?

Practice

Say “Jaya Rādhe!” today while remembering Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī as the center of Vṛndāvana’s activities.

Live this todayŚrīmatī Rādhārāṇī Is Kṛṣṇa’s Very LifeThis 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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