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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 21.118Madhya 21.120

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.119

কর্ম, তপ, যোগ, জ্ঞান,     বিধি-ভক্তি, জপ, ধ্যান,

ইহা হৈতে মাধুর্য দুর্লভ ।

কেবল যে রাগমার্গে,     ভজে কৃষ্ণে অনুরাগে,

তারে কৃষ্ণমাধুর্য সুলভ ॥ ১১৯ ॥

karma, tapa, yoga, jñāna, vidhi-bhakti, japa, dhyāna,

ihā haite mādhurya durlabha

kevala ye rāga-mārge, bhaje kṛṣṇe anurāge,

tāre kṛṣṇa-mādhurya sulabha

Translation

“The transcendental mellows generated from the dealings between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa cannot be tasted by means of fruitive activity, yogic austerities, speculative knowledge, regulative devotional service, mantra-yoga or meditation. This sweetness can be tasted only through the spontaneous love of liberated persons who chant the holy names with great ecstatic love.

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.

Spontaneous Love Tastes Kṛṣṇa’s Sweetness

  1. 1

    The dealings between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa generate transcendental mellows, or tastes of spiritual sweetness.

  2. 2

    These cannot be tasted through fruitive activity, yogic austerities, speculative knowledge, regulative devotional service, mantra-yoga or meditation.

  3. 3

    This sweetness is tasted only through the spontaneous love of liberated persons who chant the holy names with great ecstatic love.

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. karmafruitive activities
  2. tapaausterities
  3. yogathe practice of mystic yoga
  4. jñānaspeculative cultivation of knowledge
  5. vidhi-bhaktiregulative principles in devotional service
  6. japachanting
  7. dhyānameditation
  8. ihā haitefrom these things
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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”

  • 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: “gopīs”

  • 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 does this verse teach you about the love accompanying the chanting of the holy names?

Practice

Set aside a quiet minute today to chant Kṛṣṇa’s holy name.

Live this todaySpontaneous Love Tastes Kṛṣṇa’s SweetnessThis 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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