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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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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 13.153Madhya 13.155

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 13.154

রাখিতে তোমার জীবন,     সেবি আমি নারায়ণ,

তাঁর শক্ত্যে আসি নিতি-নিতি ।

তোমা-সনে ক্রীড়া করি’,     নিতি যাই যদুপুরী,

তাহা তুমি মানহ মোর স্ফূর্তি ॥ ১৫৪ ॥

rākhite tomāra jīvana, sevi āmi nārāyaṇa,

tāṅra śaktye āsi niti-niti

tomā-sane krīḍā kari’, niti yāi yadu-purī,

tāhā tumi mānaha mora sphūrti

Translation

“You are My most dear, and I know that in My absence You cannot live for a moment. Just to keep You living, I worship Lord Nārāyaṇa. By His merciful potency, I come to Vṛndāvana every day to enjoy pastimes with You. I then return to Dvārakā-dhāma. Thus You can always feel My presence there in Vṛndāvana.

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.

Merciful Presence in Separation

  1. 1

    The Lord knows that His most dear beloved cannot live for a moment in His absence.

  2. 2

    To keep His beloved living, He worships Lord Nārāyaṇa and comes to Vṛndāvana every day by His merciful potency.

  3. 3

    After enjoying pastimes there, He returns to Dvārakā-dhāma, yet His beloved can always feel His presence in Vṛndāvana.

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. rākhitejust to keep
  2. tomāra jīvanaYour life
  3. sevi āmi nārāyaṇaI always worship Lord Nārāyaṇa
  4. tāṅra śaktyeby His potency
  5. āsi niti-nitiI come to You daily
  6. tomā-sanewith You
  7. krīḍā kari’enjoying pastimes
  8. nitidaily
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “absence”

  • 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”

  • Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life

    Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “merciful”

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 this daily return reveal about the Lord’s loving care?

Practice

Read the passage slowly today, pausing over the assurance that His presence can always be felt in Vṛndāvana.

Live this todayMerciful Presence in SeparationThis 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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