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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 2.47Madhya 2.49

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 2.48

কৃষ্ণপ্রেমা সুনির্মল,     যেন শুদ্ধগঙ্গাজল,

সেই প্রেমা — অমৃতের সিন্ধু ।

নির্মল সে অনুরাগে,     না লুকায় অন্য দাগে,

শুক্লবস্ত্রে যৈছে মসীবিন্দু ॥ ৪৮ ॥

kṛṣṇa-premā sunirmala, yena śuddha-gaṅgā-jala,

sei premā — amṛtera sindhu

nirmala se anurāge, nā lukāya anya dāge,

śukla-vastre yaiche masī-bindu

Translation

“Love for Lord Kṛṣṇa is very pure, just like the waters of the Ganges. That love is an ocean of nectar. That pure attachment to Kṛṣṇa does not conceal any spot, which would appear just like a spot of ink on a white cloth.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Love Makes Every Spot Visible

  1. 1

    Love for Lord Kṛṣṇa is very pure, like the waters of the Ganges, and is an ocean of nectar.

  2. 2

    The purport compares unalloyed love of Kṛṣṇa to a big sheet of white cloth. Absence of attachment is like a black spot upon it.

  3. 3

    Just as a black spot stands out on white cloth, the absence of love of Godhead is prominent on the platform of pure love.

Key points from the purport
  • Unalloyed love of Kṛṣṇa is just like a big sheet of white cloth.
  • Absence of attachment is compared to a black spot on that white cloth.
  • Just as the black spot is prominent, so the absence of love of Godhead is prominent on the platform of pure love of Godhead.

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. kṛṣṇa-premālove of Kṛṣṇa
  2. su-nirmalawithout material contamination
  3. yenaexactly like
  4. śuddha-gaṅgā-jalathe pure water of the Ganges
  5. sei premāthat love
  6. amṛtera sindhuthe ocean of nectar
  7. nirmalapure
  8. sethat
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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”, “love of godhead”, “love of krsna”

  • 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: “absence”

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 a spot on white cloth teach me about the purity of love for Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Reflect on the white-cloth comparison and acknowledge one area where your attachment to Kṛṣṇa is lacking.

Live this todayPure Love Makes Every Spot VisibleThis 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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