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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 2.48Madhya 2.50

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 2.49

শুদ্ধপ্রেম-সুখসিন্ধু,     পাই তার এক বিন্দু,

সেই বিন্দু জগৎ ডুবায় ।

কহিবার যোগ্য নয়,     তথাপি বাউলে কয়,

কহিলে বা কেবা পাতিয়ায় ॥ ৪৯ ॥

śuddha-prema-sukha-sindhu, pāi tāra eka bindu,

sei bindu jagat ḍubāya

kahibāra yogya naya, tathāpi bāule kaya,

kahile vā kebā pātiyāya

Translation

“Unalloyed love of Kṛṣṇa is like an ocean of happiness. If someone gets one drop of it, the whole world can drown in that drop. It is not befitting to express such love of Godhead, yet a madman must speak. But even though he speaks, no one believes him.”

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.

One Drop of Love Holds Oceanic Happiness

  1. 1

    Unalloyed love of Kṛṣṇa is like an ocean of happiness.

  2. 2

    Even one drop of this love is so powerful that the whole world can drown in it.

  3. 3

    Such love is not befitting to express, yet one maddened by it must speak. Even then, no one believes him.

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. śuddha-premaunalloyed love
  2. sukha-sindhuan ocean of happiness
  3. pāiif I get
  4. tāraof that
  5. ekaone
  6. bindudrop
  7. sei binduthat drop
  8. jagatthe whole world
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 of godhead”, “love of krsna”

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 one drop suggest about the greatness of love of Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Pause today and reflect on the phrase “an ocean of happiness” as a description of love of Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayOne Drop of Love Holds Oceanic HappinessThis 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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