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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

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.

Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Madhya-līlā · Chapter 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

Madhya 21.100 Madhya 21.102

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.101

কৃষ্ণের যতেক খেলা, সর্বোত্তম নরলীলা,

নরবপু তাহার স্বরূপ ।

গোপবেশ, বেণুকর, নবকিশোর, নটবর,

নরলীলার হয় অনুরূপ ॥ ১০১ ॥

kṛṣṇera yateka khelā, sarvottama nara-līlā,

nara-vapu tāhāra svarūpa

gopa-veśa, veṇu-kara, nava-kiśora, naṭa-vara,

nara-līlāra haya anurūpa

Translation

“Lord Kṛṣṇa has many pastimes, of which His pastimes as a human being are the best. His form as a human being is the supreme transcendental form. In this form He is a cowherd boy. He carries a flute in His hand, and His youth is new. He is also an expert dancer. All this is just suitable for His pastimes as a human being.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Humanlike Form Is Supreme

1
Among Kṛṣṇa’s many pastimes, His pastimes as a human being are the best.
2
His form as a human being is the supreme transcendental form. In this form, He is a cowherd boy.
3
He carries a flute, His youth is new, and He is an expert dancer. These features are just suitable for His pastimes as a human being.

How it feels

Awe becoming attraction. The Lord’s vast opulence is placed beside the intimate sweetness of Kṛṣṇa.

The mood of Madhya 21 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Madhya 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

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

There is also a description of one of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with Brahmā. In this chapter the author of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta has presented some nice poems about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s superexcellent beauty.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Madhya 21

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

kṛṣṇeraof Lord Kṛṣṇa
yatekaall
khelāpastimes
sarva-uttamathe most attractive of all
nara-līlāthe pastimes as a human being
nara-vapua body just like that of a human being
tāhāraof that
svarūpathe real form

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”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the description of Kṛṣṇa as a cowherd boy deepen your understanding of His supreme transcendental form?

Practice

Spend one minute recalling the features listed here: cowherd boy, flute, fresh youth and expert dancing.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Humanlike Form Is SupremeThis 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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