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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 14.222Madhya 14.224

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 14.223

অনন্ত কামধেনু তাহাঁ ফিরে বনে বনে ।

দুগ্ধমাত্র দেন, কেহ না মাগে অন্য ধনে ॥ ২২৩ ॥

ananta kāma-dhenu tāhāṅ phire vane vane

dugdha-mātra dena, keha nā māge anya dhane

Translation

“In Vṛndāvana there are cows that fulfill all desires [kāma-dhenus], and their number is unlimited. They graze from forest to forest and deliver only milk. The people want nothing else.

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.

Unlimited Cows, Contentment With Milk

  1. 1

    Vṛndāvana has unlimited cows that fulfill all desires, called kāma-dhenus.

  2. 2

    These cows graze from forest to forest and deliver only milk.

  3. 3

    The people want nothing else.

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:

When Lord Jagannātha was seated at Sundarācala, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw it as Vṛndāvana. He performed sporting pastimes in the water of the lake known as Indradyumna.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 14
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. anantaunlimited
  2. kāma-dhenucows that can fulfill all desires
  3. tāhāṅthere
  4. phiregraze
  5. vane vanefrom forest to forest
  6. dugdha-mātra denadeliver milk only
  7. kehaanyone
  8. nānot
  9. māgewants
  10. anya dhaneany other riches
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”

  • 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: “deliver”

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 can I learn from the people wanting only milk when the cows can fulfill all desires?

Practice

Write one sentence about the contrast between unlimited possibilities and the people’s simple desire for milk.

Live this todayUnlimited Cows, Contentment With MilkThis 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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