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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 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Madhya 21.110Madhya 21.112

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.111

কহিতে কৃষ্ণের রসে,     শ্লোক পড়ে প্রেমাবেশে,

প্রেমে সনাতন-হাত ধরি’ ।

গোপী-ভাগ্য, কৃষ্ণ গুণ,     যে করিল বর্ণন,

ভাবাবেশে মথুরা-নাগরী ॥ ১১১ ॥

kahite kṛṣṇera rase, śloka paḍe premāveśe,

preme sanātana-hāta dhari’

gopī-bhāgya, kṛṣṇa guṇa, ye karila varṇana,

bhāvāveśe mathurā-nāgarī

Translation

Just as the women of Mathurā ecstatically described the fortune of the gopīs of Vṛndāvana and the transcendental qualities of Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu described the different mellows of Kṛṣṇa and became overwhelmed with ecstatic love. Grasping the hand of Sanātana Gosvāmī, He recited the following verse.

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.

Describing Kṛṣṇa Overwhelms Mahāprabhu with Love

  1. 1

    The women of Mathurā ecstatically described the fortune of the gopīs of Vṛndāvana and Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental qualities.

  2. 2

    Similarly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu described the different mellows of Kṛṣṇa and became overwhelmed with ecstatic love.

  3. 3

    Grasping Sanātana Gosvāmī’s hand, He recited the following verse.

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

Further reading

Madhya 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

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

In this chapter the author of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta has presented some nice poems about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s superexcellent beauty. Throughout the rest of the chapter, our intimate relationship ( sambandha ) with Kṛṣṇa is described.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 21
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kahiteto describe
  2. kṛṣṇeraof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  3. rasethe different types of mellows
  4. ślokaa verse
  5. paḍerecites
  6. prema-āveśeabsorbed in ecstatic love
  7. premein such love
  8. sanātana-hāta dhari’catching the hand of Sanātana Gosvāmī
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: “vṛndāvana”, “gopīs”

  • Bhāva & rasa · The language of sacred feeling

    Transcendental devotional moods and relationships, discussed explicitly in Rāmānanda’s dialogue and the teachings on prema. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “mellows”

  • 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: “ecstatic love”

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 do you notice about the love accompanying these descriptions of Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Pause over the image of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu grasping Sanātana Gosvāmī’s hand, and reread the sentence describing His ecstatic love.

Live this todayDescribing Kṛṣṇa Overwhelms Mahāprabhu with 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.

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