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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 14: Performance of the Vṛndāvana Pastimes
Madhya 14.157Madhya 14.159

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 14.158

এবং শশঙ্কাংশুবিরাজিতা নিশাঃ

স সত্যকামোঽনুরতাবলাগণঃ ।

সিষেব আত্মন্যবরুদ্ধ-সৌরতঃ

সর্বাঃ শরৎকাব্যকথারসাশ্রয়াঃ ॥ ১৫৮ ॥

evaṁ śaśaṅkāṁśu-virājitā niśāḥ

sa satya-kāmo ’nuratābalā-gaṇaḥ

siṣeva ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ

sarvāḥ śarat-kāvya-kathā-rasāśrayāḥ

Translation

“ ‘Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is the Absolute Truth, enjoyed His rāsa dance every night during the autumn season. He performed this dance in the moonlight and with full transcendental mellows. He used poetic words and surrounded Himself with women who were very much attracted to Him.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Dealings with the Gopīs Are Spiritual

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs do not have material bodies. Vṛndāvana-dhāma and everything within it are spiritual, without a trace of material contamination.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Brahman and Supersoul, and His activities with the gopīs are entirely spiritual. The discussion between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī is neither mundane nor erotic.

  3. 3

    One must first become purified by following the regulative principles before trying to understand Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs. Transcendental realization is needed before even considering relishing these pastimes.

Key points from the purport
  • One should never think that the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa have material bodies.
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī are here talking about the relationship between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs; therefore the subject matter is neither mundane nor erotic.
  • Unless the gopīs were on the spiritual platform, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu would have never even mentioned them to Svarūpa Dāmodara 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.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 14.158 quotesSB 10.33.25

This verse is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.33.25).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Intimacy and ecstatic play. Mercy to Pratāparudra and discussion of the gopīs reveal deep relational sweetness.

The mood of Madhya 14 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 14: Performance of the Vṛndāvana Pastimes

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

He performed sporting pastimes in the water of the lake known as Indradyumna. For nine continuous days during Ratha-yātrā, the Lord remained at Sundarācala, and on the fifth day He and Svarūpa Dāmodara observed the pastimes of Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 14
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. evamthus
  2. śaśaṅka-aṁśuwith rays of moonshine
  3. virājitāḥbeautifully existing
  4. niśāḥnights
  5. saḥHe
  6. satya-kāmaḥthe Absolute Truth
  7. anuratato whom are attracted
  8. abalā-gaṇaḥwomen
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “mellows”, “rāsa”

  • 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”

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “discussion”

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

Why is purification necessary before trying to relish Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with the gopīs?

Practice

Before rereading this verse, remind yourself that these dealings are entirely spiritual, not material.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Dealings with the Gopīs Are SpiritualThis 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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