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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 2: The Ecstatic Manifestations of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Madhya 2.28Madhya 2.30

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 2.29

বংশীগানামৃত-ধাম,     লাবণ্যামৃত-জন্মস্থান,

যে না দেখে সে চাঁদ বদন ।

সে নয়নে কিবা কাজ,     পড়ুক তার মুণ্ডে বাজ,

সে নয়ন রহে কি কারণ ॥ ২৯ ॥

vaṁśī-gānāmṛta-dhāma, lāvaṇyāmṛta-janma-sthāna,

ye nā dekhe se cāṅda vadana

se nayane kibā kāja, paḍuka tāra muṇḍe vāja,

se nayana rahe ki kāraṇa

Translation

“Of what use are the eyes of one who does not see the face of Kṛṣṇa, which resembles the moon and is the birthplace of all beauty and the reservoir of the nectarean songs of His flute? Oh, let a thunderbolt strike his head! Why does he keep such eyes?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Beauty Is the Eyes’ Solace

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s moonlike face is the root of all bodily beauty and the reservoir of the nectarean songs of His flute.

  2. 2

    For the gopīs, seeing anything but Kṛṣṇa is uninteresting and even detestable. His beautiful face is the only solace for their eyes.

  3. 3

    Without seeing Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs find everything vacant. Their wish to be struck by a thunderbolt expresses how unbearable this separation feels to them.

Key points from the purport
  • The moonlike face of Kṛṣṇa is the reservoir of nectarean songs and the abode of His flute.
  • The gopīs think that if their eyes are not engaged in seeing the beautiful face of Kṛṣṇa, it would be better for them to be struck by a thunderbolt.
  • When they cannot see the beautiful face of Kṛṣṇa, they actually see everything as vacant, and they desire to be struck by a thunderbolt.

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

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. vaṁśī-gāna-amṛta-dhāmathe abode of the nectar derived from the songs of the flute
  2. lāvaṇya-amṛta-janma-sthānathe birthplace of the nectar of beauty
  3. yeanyone who
  4. nānot
  5. dekhesees
  6. sethat
  7. cāṅdamoonlike
  8. vadanaface
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: “separation”

  • 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 the gopīs’ longing reveal about the place Kṛṣṇa holds in their lives?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute reflecting on the description of Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful moonlike face.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Beauty Is the Eyes’ SolaceThis 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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