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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 2.63Madhya 2.65

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 2.64

মত্তগজ ভাবগণ,     প্রভুর দেহ — ইক্ষুবন,

গজ-যুদ্ধে বনের দলন ।

প্ৰভুর হৈল দিব্যোন্মাদ,     তনুমনের অবসাদ,

ভাবাবেশে করে সম্বোধন ॥ ৬৪ ॥

matta-gaja bhāva-gaṇa, prabhura deha — ikṣu-vana,

gaja-yuddhe vanera dalana

prabhura haila divyonmāda, tanu-manera avasāda,

bhāvāveśe kare sambodhana

Translation

The body of the Lord was just like a field of sugarcane into which the mad elephants of ecstasy entered. There was a fight amongst the elephants, and in the process the entire field of sugarcane was destroyed. Thus transcendental madness was awakened in the body of the Lord, and He experienced despondency in mind and body. In this ecstatic condition, He began to speak as follows.

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.

Ecstasy Like Elephants in a Sugarcane Field

  1. 1

    The Lord’s body is compared to a field of sugarcane, and His ecstasies to mad elephants entering it.

  2. 2

    The elephants fight and destroy the field. This image conveys the force of the ecstasies within His body.

  3. 3

    Transcendental madness awakened, and the Lord experienced despondency in mind and body. In this ecstatic condition, He began to speak.

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:

At that time the author, Śrīla Kavirāja Gosvāmī, met Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, by whose mercy he also could memorize all the notes. In this way the author was able to complete this transcendental literature, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 2
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. matta-gajamad elephant
  2. bhāva-gaṇasymptoms of ecstasy
  3. prabhuraof the Lord
  4. dehabody
  5. ikṣu-vanasugarcane forest
  6. gaja-yuddhein the fight of the elephants
  7. vaneraof the forest
  8. dalanatrampling
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “madness”

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 sugarcane-field image help you notice about the force of the Lord’s ecstasy?

Practice

Reread the comparison and write one sentence about what it conveys concerning the Lord’s condition.

Live this todayEcstasy Like Elephants in a Sugarcane FieldThis 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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