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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 2.43

অকৈতব কৃষ্ণপ্রেম,     যেন জাম্বুনদ-হেম,

সেই প্রেমা নৃলোকে না হয় ।

যদি হয় তার যোগ,     না হয় তবে বিয়োগ,

বিয়োগ হৈলে কেহ না জীয়য় ॥ ৪৩ ॥

akaitava kṛṣṇa-prema, yena jāmbūnada-hema,

sei premā nṛloke nā haya

yadi haya tāra yoga, nā haya tabe viyoga,

viyoga haile keha nā jīyaya

Translation

“Pure love for Kṛṣṇa, just like gold from the Jāmbū River, does not exist in human society. If it existed, there could not be separation. If separation were there, one could not live.”

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.

Pure Love Compared to Gold

  1. 1

    Pure love for Kṛṣṇa is compared to gold from the Jāmbū River.

  2. 2

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that such pure love does not exist in human society.

  3. 3

    He says that if this love existed, there could not be separation. If separation occurred, one could not live.

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. akaitava kṛṣṇa-premaunalloyed love of Kṛṣṇa
  2. yenalike
  3. jāmbū-nada-hemagold from the Jāmbū River
  4. sei premāthat love of Godhead
  5. nṛ-lokein the material world
  6. nā hayais not possible
  7. yadiif
  8. hayathere is
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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 for krsna”, “pure love”

  • 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”

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 this description challenge my understanding of pure love for Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once, pausing over the comparison with gold from the Jāmbū River.

Live this todayPure Love Compared to GoldThis 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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