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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

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 2.22

যে মদন তনুহীন,     পরদ্রোহে পরবীণ,

বাণ সন্ধে অনুক্ষণ ।

অবলার শরীরে,     বিন্ধি’ কৈল জরজরে,

দুঃখ দেয়, না লয় জীবন ॥ ২২ ॥

ye madana tanu-hīna, para-drohe paravīṇa,

pāṅca bāṇa sandhe anukṣaṇa

abalāra śarīre, vindhi’ kaila jarajare,

duḥkha deya, nā laya jīvana

Translation

“In My loving affairs there is a person named Madana. His qualities are thus: Personally He possesses no gross body, yet He is very expert in giving pains to others. He has five arrows, and fixing them on His bow, He shoots them into the bodies of innocent women. Thus these women become invalids. It would be better if He took My life without hesitation, but He does not do so. He simply gives Me pain.

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.

Madana’s Arrows Bring Unrelenting Pain

  1. 1

    Madana is described as having no gross body, yet being very expert in giving pain to others.

  2. 2

    He fixes five arrows on his bow and shoots them into the bodies of innocent women. These wounds leave them incapacitated.

  3. 3

    The speaker’s lament expresses extreme anguish: Madana does not end Her life but continues to give Her pain.

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:

Why he has done so is very difficult for an ordinary person to understand. The author expects that reading the pastimes of the Lord will gradually help a person awaken his dormant love of Kṛṣṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 2
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ye madanathat Cupid
  2. tanu-hīnawithout a body
  3. para-drohein putting others in difficulty
  4. paravīṇavery expert
  5. pāṅcafive
  6. bāṇaarrows
  7. sandhefixes
  8. anukṣaṇaconstantly
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: “lament”

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 the image of Madana’s arrows convey the intensity of this suffering?

Practice

Read the verse once and note one phrase that conveys how relentless the pain feels.

Live this todayMadana’s Arrows Bring Unrelenting PainThis 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 2.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.