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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 21.132Madhya 21.134

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.133

না দিলেক লক্ষ-কোটি,     সবে দিলা আঁখি দুটি,

তাতে দিলা নিমিষ-আচ্ছাদন ।

বিধি — জড় তপোধন,     রসশূন্য তার মন,

নাহি জানে যোগ্য সৃজন ॥ ১৩৩ ॥

nā dileka lakṣa-koṭi, sabe dilā āṅkhi duṭi,

tāte dilā nimiṣa-ācchādana

vidhi — jaḍa tapodhana, rasa-śūnya tāra mana,

nāhi jāne yogya sṛjana

Translation

“When the onlooker of Kṛṣṇa’s face becomes dissatisfied in this way, he thinks, ‘Why didn’t the creator give me thousands and millions of eyes? Why has he given me only two? Even these two eyes are disturbed by blinking, which keeps me from continuously seeing Kṛṣṇa’s face.’ Thus one accuses the creator of being dry and tasteless due to engaging in severe austerities. ‘The creator is only a dry manufacturer. He does not know how to create and set things in their proper places.

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.

Longing to See Kṛṣṇa Without Interruption

  1. 1

    The onlooker wishes the creator had given thousands and millions of eyes instead of only two.

  2. 2

    Even those two eyes are disturbed by blinking, which interrupts the sight of Kṛṣṇa’s face.

  3. 3

    In this dissatisfaction, the onlooker accuses the creator of being dry and tasteless from severe austerities. The creator seems unable to arrange things properly.

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. nā dilekadid not award
  2. lakṣa-koṭithousands and millions
  3. sabeonly
  4. dilāgave
  5. āṅkhi duṭitwo eyes
  6. tātein them
  7. dilāgave
  8. nimiṣa-ācchādanacovering of the eyelids
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does dissatisfaction with even a blink reveal about the onlooker’s longing?

Practice

Read the onlooker’s words slowly, noticing the wish to see Kṛṣṇa’s face continuously.

Live this todayLonging to See Kṛṣṇa Without InterruptionThis 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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