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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 14: Performance of the Vṛndāvana Pastimes
Madhya 14.227Madhya 14.229

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 14.228

চিন্তামণিশ্চরণভূষণমঙ্গনানাং

শৃঙ্গারপুষ্পতরবস্তরবঃ সুরাণাম্ ।

বৃন্দাবনে ব্রজধনং ননু কামধেনু-

বৃন্দানি চেতি সুখসিন্ধুরহো বিভূতিঃ ॥ ২২৮ ॥

cintāmaṇiś caraṇa-bhūṣaṇam aṅganānāṁ

śṛṅgāra-puṣpa-taravas taravaḥ surāṇām

vṛndāvane vraja-dhanaṁ nanu kāma-dhenu-

vṛndāni ceti sukha-sindhur aho vibhūtiḥ

Translation

“ ‘The anklets on the damsels of Vraja-bhūmi are made of cintāmaṇi stone. The trees are wish-fulfilling trees, and they produce flowers with which the gopīs decorate themselves. There are also wish-fulfilling cows [kāma-dhenus], which deliver unlimited quantities of milk. These cows constitute the wealth of Vṛndāvana. Thus Vṛndāvana’s opulence is blissfully exhibited.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vṛndāvana’s Wealth Is Blissfully Exhibited

  1. 1

    The anklets of the damsels of Vraja-bhūmi are made of cintāmaṇi stone.

  2. 2

    The wish-fulfilling trees produce flowers with which the gopīs decorate themselves.

  3. 3

    The wish-fulfilling cows, kāma-dhenus, give unlimited quantities of milk and constitute Vṛndāvana’s wealth. This description of its blissful opulence is by Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura and is quoted in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse, by Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, is quoted in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.173).

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

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:

During that time, there was much talk about the pastimes of the gopīs. When the ratha was again being drawn and the chanting resumed, two devotees from Kulīna-grāma — Rāmānanda Vasu and Satyarāja Khān — were requested to bring silk ropes every year for the Ratha-yātrā ceremony.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 14
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. cintāmaṇiḥtranscendental touchstone
  2. caraṇaof the lotus feet
  3. bhūṣaṇamthe ornament
  4. aṅganānāmof all the women of Vṛndāvana
  5. śṛṅgārafor dressing
  6. puṣpa-taravaḥthe flower trees
  7. taravaḥ surāṇāmthe trees of the demigods (desire trees)
  8. vṛndāvaneat Vṛndāvana
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”, “vraja-bhūmi”, “gopīs”

  • 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

How does the description of cows as Vṛndāvana’s wealth shape your understanding of its opulence?

Practice

Write down the three forms of opulence described here: anklets, trees, and cows.

Live this todayVṛndāvana’s Wealth Is Blissfully ExhibitedThis 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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