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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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 18.42

এইমত গোপালের করুণ স্বভাব ।

যেই ভক্ত জনের দেখিতে হয় ‘ভাব’ ॥ ৪২ ॥

ei-mata gopālera karuṇa svabhāva

yei bhakta janera dekhite haya ‘bhāva’

Translation

This is the way of Lord Gopāla’s kind behavior to His devotees. Seeing this, the devotees were overwhelmed by ecstatic love.

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.

Gopāla’s Kindness Awakens Ecstatic Love

  1. 1

    Lord Gopāla behaves kindly toward His devotees.

  2. 2

    The devotees witnessed His kind behavior.

  3. 3

    Seeing His kindness, they were overwhelmed by ecstatic love.

How it feels

Overwhelmed recognition. Seeing the places of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes evokes extraordinary remembrance and ecstasy.

The mood of Madhya 18 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 18: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Visit to Śrī Vṛndāvana

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

While stopping near a village on the way to Prayāga, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fainted in ecstatic love. Some Pāṭhāna soldiers who were passing through saw Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and falsely concluded that the Lord’s associates, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya and others, had killed the Lord with a poison named dhuturā and were taking His wealth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 18
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ei-matain this way
  2. gopāleraof the Gopāla Deity
  3. karuṇa svabhāvakind behavior
  4. yeiwhich
  5. bhakta janeraof persons who are devotees
  6. dekhiteto see
  7. hayathere is
  8. bhāvaecstatic love
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: “ecstatic love”

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 reflecting on Lord Gopāla’s kindness affect your feelings toward Him?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute reflecting on the kindness Lord Gopāla shows His devotees.

Live this todayGopāla’s Kindness Awakens Ecstatic LoveThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 18.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.