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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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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 2: The Ecstatic Manifestations of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Madhya 2.20Madhya 2.22

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 2.21

কুটিল প্রেমা অগেয়ান,     নাহি জানে স্থানাস্থান,

ভাল-মন্দ নারে বিচারিতে ।

ক্রূর শঠের গুণডোরে,     হাতে-গলে বান্ধি’ মোরে,

রাখিয়াছে, নারি’ উকাশিতে ॥ ২১ ॥

kuṭila premā ageyāna, nāhi jāne sthānāsthāna,

bhāla-manda nāre vicārite

krūra śaṭhera guṇa-ḍore, hāte-gale bāndhi’ more,

rākhiyāche, nāri’ ukāśite

Translation

“By nature loving affairs are very crooked. They are not entered with sufficient knowledge, nor do they consider whether a place is suitable or not, nor do they look forward to the results. By the ropes of His good qualities, Kṛṣṇa, who is so unkind, has bound My neck and hands, and I am unable to get relief.

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.

Bound by Kṛṣṇa’s Good Qualities

  1. 1

    Loving affairs are described as crooked by nature. They are not entered with sufficient knowledge.

  2. 2

    Such love does not consider whether a place is suitable or look ahead to the results.

  3. 3

    The speaker laments that Kṛṣṇa has bound Her neck and hands with the ropes of His good qualities. Though She calls Him unkind, She cannot find relief from this bond.

How it feels

Overwhelming divine separation. A preview of the last years reveals the Lord’s intense separation from Kṛṣṇa.

The mood of Madhya 2 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 2: The Ecstatic Manifestations of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

The author expects that reading the pastimes of the Lord will gradually help a person awaken his dormant love of Kṛṣṇa. Actually this Caitanya-caritāmṛta was compiled by the author during very old age.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 2
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kuṭilacrooked
  2. premālove of Kṛṣṇa
  3. ageyānaignorant
  4. nāhidoes not
  5. jāneknow
  6. sthāna-asthānaa suitable place or unsuitable place
  7. bhāla-mandawhat is good or what is bad
  8. nārenot able
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Vipralambha · Love in separation

    Separation that intensifies remembrance and longing; especially central to the confidential pastimes at Purī. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “laments”

  • 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”

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 the image of ropes suggest about the hold of Kṛṣṇa’s good qualities?

Practice

Spend a minute reflecting on the phrase “the ropes of His good qualities.”

Live this todayBound by Kṛṣṇa’s Good QualitiesThis 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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