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Study a Verse

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 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana
Madhya 17.115Madhya 17.117

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 17.116

“শুনিয়াছি গৌড়দেশের সন্ন্যাসী — ‘ভাবুক’ ।

কেশব-ভারতী-শিষ্য, লোকপ্রতারক ॥ ১১৬ ॥

“śuniyāchi gauḍa-deśera sannyāsī — ‘bhāvuka’

keśava-bhāratī-śiṣya, loka-pratāraka

Translation

Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī said, “Yes, I have heard about Him. He is a sannyāsī from Bengal, and He is very sentimental. I have also heard that He belongs to the Bhāratī-sampradāya, for He is a disciple of Keśava Bhāratī. However, He is only a pretender.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Ecstatic Love Is Not Imitation

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu always exhibited ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. Foolish people mistook this for ordinary sentimentalism.

  2. 2

    His ecstatic love cannot be compared to the temporary emotional exhibitions of pretenders. Māyāvādīs cannot understand a devotee’s transcendental symptoms.

  3. 3

    Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī’s statement was offensive. His renunciation was artificial because he was not engaged in the Lord’s devotional service and did not know how to use things for that service.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was considered bhāvuka (sentimental) because He was always seen in the bhāva stage.
  • In the beginning, when Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī heard of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s activities, he considered them to be those of a pretender.
  • According to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, since Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī was not engaged in the Lord’s devotional service, his sannyāsa is to be considered phalgu-vairāgya.

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

Wonder and contagious joy. Even forest animals chant; nature seems drawn into the saṅkīrtana movement.

The mood of Madhya 17 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana

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

Seeing the behavior of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, a Maharashtriyan brāhmaṇa informed Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, the leader of the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs. Prakāśānanda made various accusations against the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. śuniyāchiI have heard
  2. gauḍa-deśera sannyāsīthe sannyāsī from Bengal
  3. bhāvukasentimental
  4. keśava-bhāratī-śiṣyadisciple of Keśava Bhāratī
  5. loka-pratārakaa first-class pretender
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Prema · Love of Godhead

    The culminating devotional purpose that unites the narration: bestowed, cultivated, taught, celebrated, and tasted. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “love for krsna”, “ecstatic love”

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “service”

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

Am I giving more attention to outward emotion or to steady devotional service?

Practice

Use one thing you already have in a small act of service to the Lord today.

Live this todayEcstatic Love Is Not ImitationThis 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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