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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 2.46Madhya 2.48

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 2.47

যাতে বংশীধ্বনি-সুখ,     না দেখি’ সে চাঁদ মুখ,

যদ্যপি নাহিক ‘আলম্বন’ ।

নিজ-দেহে করি প্রীতি,     কেবল কামের রীতি,

প্রাণ-কীটের করিয়ে ধারণ ॥ ৪৭ ॥

yāte vaṁśī-dhvani-sukha, nā dekhi’ se cāṅda mukha,

yadyapi nāhika ‘ālambana’

nija-dehe kari prīti, kevala kāmera rīti,

prāṇa-kīṭera kariye dhāraṇa

Translation

“Even though I do not see the moonlike face of Kṛṣṇa as He plays on His flute, and although there is no possibility of My meeting Him, still I take care of My own body. That is the way of lust. In this way, I maintain My flylike life.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Is the Supreme Shelter

  1. 1

    The lovable Supreme Lord is the supreme shelter. The Lord is the supreme subject, and the devotees are the object.

  2. 2

    The coming together of subject and object is called ālambana. The object hears, and the subject plays the flute.

  3. 3

    Not seeing Kṛṣṇa’s moonlike face and having no eagerness to see Him is a sign of being without ālambana. Externally imagining such a relationship simply satisfies lusty desires, leaving life without purpose.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord is the supreme subject, and the devotees are the object.
  • The coming together of a subject and object is called ālambana.
  • The object hears, and the subject plays the flute.

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. yātein which
  2. vaṁśī-dhvani-sukhathe happiness of hearing the playing of the flute
  3. nā dekhi’not seeing
  4. sethat
  5. cāṅda mukhamoonlike face
  6. yadyapialthough
  7. nāhikathere is not
  8. ālambanathe meeting of the lover and beloved
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Kīrtana community · A movement of shared hearts

    Devotional community as a living network of branches, service, festivals, care, and collective chanting. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “together”

  • 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: “relationship”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

    Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

Am I seeking shelter in the Lord with genuine eagerness, or merely imagining a relationship?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute reflecting on the Lord as your supreme shelter and honestly consider your eagerness for Him.

Live this todayThe Lord Is the Supreme ShelterThis 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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