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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

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 2.54

গরুড়ের সন্নিধানে,     রহি’ করে দরশনে,

সে আনন্দের কি কহিব ব’লে ।

গরুড়-স্তম্ভের তলে,     আছে এক নিম্ন খালে,

সে খাল ভরিল অশ্রুজলে ॥ ৫৪ ॥

garuḍera sannidhāne, rahi’ kare daraśane,

se ānandera ki kahiba ba’le

garuḍa-stambhera tale, āche eka nimna khāle,

se khāla bharila aśru-jale

Translation

Staying near the Garuḍa-stambha, the Lord would look upon Lord Jagannātha. What can be said about the strength of that love? On the ground beneath the column of the Garuḍa-stambha was a deep ditch, and that ditch was filled with the water of His tears.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Tears Reveal the Strength of Love

  1. 1

    The Garuḍa-stambha is a column in front of the Jagannātha temple, with a statue of Garuḍa upon it.

  2. 2

    The Lord stayed near this column and looked upon Lord Jagannātha.

  3. 3

    A deep ditch at the base of the column filled with His tears, revealing the extraordinary strength of His love.

Key points from the purport
  • In front of the temple of Jagannātha is a column on which the statue of Garuḍa is situated.
  • At the base of that column is a ditch, and that ditch was filled with the tears of the Lord.

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
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. garuḍeraGaruḍa
  2. sannidhānenear
  3. rahi’staying
  4. karedoes
  5. daraśaneseeing
  6. se ānanderaof that bliss
  7. kiwhat
  8. kahibaI shall say
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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”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the ditch filled with tears convey to you about the Lord’s love?

Practice

Reread the description of the Lord looking upon Jagannātha, and pause to reflect on the strength of that love.

Live this todayTears Reveal the Strength of LoveThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 2.54? Get an answer from the verses themselves.