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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 18.8

যথা রাধা প্রিয়া বিষ্ণোস্তস্যাঃ কুণ্ডং প্রিয়ং তথা ।

সর্বগোপীষু সৈবৈকা বিষ্ণোরত্যন্তবল্লভা ॥ ৮ ॥

yathā rādhā priyā viṣṇos

tasyāḥ kuṇḍaṁ priyaṁ tathā

sarva-gopīṣu saivaikā

viṣṇor atyanta-vallabhā

Translation

“ ‘Just as Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is most dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa, so Her lake, known as Rādhā-kuṇḍa, is also very dear to Him. Of all the gopīs, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is certainly the most beloved.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Rādhārāṇī and Her Lake Are Dear

  1. 1

    Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is most dear to Lord Kṛṣṇa and the most beloved of all the gopīs.

  2. 2

    Just as She is most dear to Him, Her lake, Rādhā-kuṇḍa, is also very dear to Him.

  3. 3

    The purport identifies this quotation as a verse from the Padma Purāṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • This is a verse from the Padma Purāṇa.

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

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:

In the village of Āriṭ-grāma, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu discovered the transcendental lakes known as Rādhā-kuṇḍa and Śyāma-kuṇḍa. He then saw the Deity Harideva at Govardhana Village.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 18
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. yathāas
  2. rādhāŚrīmatī Rādhārāṇī
  3. priyābeloved
  4. viṣṇoḥof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  5. tasyāḥHer
  6. kuṇḍamlake
  7. priyamvery dear
  8. tathāsimilarly
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Rādhā-bhāva · The confidential inner purpose

    The Lord’s desire to taste the love and perspective of Śrī Rādhā, illuminated by later ecstatic pastimes. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “rādhārāṇī”

  • 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: “gopīs”

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 does this comparison help you appreciate about Rādhā-kuṇḍa?

Practice

Read the quotation aloud once, reflecting on how dear Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and Her lake are to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayRādhārāṇī and Her Lake Are DearThis 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 18.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.