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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 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth
Madhya 20.177Madhya 20.179

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.178

সৌন্দর্য, ঐশ্বর্য, মাধুর্য, বৈদগ্ধ্য-বিলাস ।

ব্রজেন্দ্রনন্দনে ইহা অধিক উল্লাস ॥ ১৭৮ ॥

saundarya, aiśvarya, mādhurya, vaidagdhya-vilāsa

vrajendra-nandane ihā adhika ullāsa

Translation

“When one compares the beauty, opulence, sweetness and intellectual pastimes of Vāsudeva, the warrior, to Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boy, son of Nanda Mahārāja, one sees that Kṛṣṇa’s attributes are more pleasant.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Attributes Are More Pleasant

  1. 1

    The verse compares Vāsudeva, the warrior, with Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boy and son of Nanda Mahārāja.

  2. 2

    The comparison concerns Their beauty, opulence, sweetness and intellectual pastimes.

  3. 3

    When these attributes are compared, Kṛṣṇa’s attributes are seen to be more pleasant.

How it feels

Humility and restored identity. A seeker relinquishes status, asks fundamental questions, and receives sambandha knowledge.

The mood of Madhya 20 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Thus the owner helped them cross the hilly tract and proceed toward Vārāṇasī. On the way, Sanātana Gosvāmī met his brother-in-law, Śrīkānta, at Hājipura, and Śrīkānta helped him after he had heard about all Sanātana’s troubles.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. saundaryathe beauty
  2. aiśvaryathe opulence
  3. mādhuryathe sweetness
  4. vaidagdhya-vilāsathe intellectual pastimes
  5. vrajendra-nandaneof the son of Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā
  6. ihāall these
  7. adhika ullāsamore jubilant
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Vraja-smaraṇa · Remembrance of Vṛndāvana

    The remembered sweetness of Vraja that colors Mahāprabhu’s pilgrimage, Ratha-yātrā, and later states of separation. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “cowherd”, “nanda”

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

Which of the attributes named here would you like to reflect on more closely?

Practice

Read the four attributes slowly, then write the verse’s conclusion about Kṛṣṇa.

5

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Attributes Are More PleasantThis 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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