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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 19: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
Madhya 19.227Madhya 19.229

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 19.228

আপনারে ‘পালক’ জ্ঞান, কৃষ্ণে ‘পাল্য’-জ্ঞান ।

‘চারি’ গুণে বাৎসল্য রস — অমৃত-সমান ॥ ২২৮ ॥

āpanāre ‘pālaka’ jñāna, kṛṣṇe ‘pālya’-jñāna

‘cāri’ guṇe vātsalya rasa — amṛta-samāna

Translation

“On the platform of parental love, the devotee considers himself the Lord’s maintainer. Thus the Lord is the object of maintenance, like a son, and therefore this mellow is full of the qualities of four rasas — śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, fraternity and parental love. This is more transcendental nectar.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Parental Love Combines Four Rasas

  1. 1

    Being firmly fixed in the Lord’s service and devoid of material desires are the two qualities of śānta-rasa. These qualities are present throughout the other transcendental mellows.

  2. 2

    Active service becomes prominent in dāsya-rasa, and friendly intimacy is added in sakhya-rasa. In parental love, these qualities develop into the sense of maintaining the Lord.

  3. 3

    Without formality, the parental devotee considers himself the maintainer and regards the Lord as the object of maintenance, like a son. This love combines the qualities of śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, fraternity and parental love.

Key points from the purport
  • Just as sound vibration is found in all the material elements, these two qualities of śānta-rasa are spread throughout all the other transcendental mellows, which are known as dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa and madhura-rasa.
  • Similarly, on the platform of parental love, the qualities of śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa and sakhya-rasa are fully developed in another form — the sense of maintaining the Lord.
  • Thus on the platform of parental love the qualities of four transcendental mellows of love of Kṛṣṇa are present.

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

Empowerment and hope. The seed of bhakti is received, planted, and watered; intimate realization becomes transmissible.

The mood of Madhya 19 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 19: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī

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

The Lord then sent Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī to Vṛndāvana. The Lord Himself returned to Vārāṇasī and stayed at the home of Candraśekhara.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 19
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. āpanāreunto himself
  2. pālaka jñānathe notion of a caretaker
  3. kṛṣṇein Lord Kṛṣṇa
  4. pālyaas object of protection
  5. jñānanotion
  6. cārifour
  7. guṇein qualities
  8. vātsalya rasathe mellow of parental love
  9. amṛta-samānalike nectar
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Bhāva & rasa · The language of sacred feeling

    Transcendental devotional moods and relationships, discussed explicitly in Rāmānanda’s dialogue and the teachings on prema. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “mellow”, “rasas”, “fraternity”

  • 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”

  • 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

How does seeing these qualities develop together deepen your understanding of parental love?

Practice

Make a four-line study note tracing the progression from firm attachment and freedom from material desires to active service, friendly intimacy and maintenance.

Live this todayParental Love Combines Four RasasThis 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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