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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

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 21.138 Madhya 21.140

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.139

মধুর হৈতে সুমধুর, তাহা হৈতে সুমধুর,

তাহা হৈতে অতি সুমধুর ।

আপনার এক কণে, ব্যাপে সব ত্রিভুবনে,

দশদিক্ ব্যাপে যার পূর ॥ ১৩৯ ॥

madhura haite sumadhura, tāhā haite sumadhura,

tāhā haite ati sumadhura

āpanāra eka kaṇe, vyāpe saba tribhuvane,

daśa-dik vyāpe yāra pūra

Translation

“The beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s smile is the sweetest feature of all. His smile is like a full moon that spreads its rays throughout the three worlds — Goloka Vṛndāvana, the spiritual sky of the Vaikuṇṭhas, and Devī-dhāma, the material world. Thus Kṛṣṇa’s shining beauty spreads in all ten directions.

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 Smile Shines Throughout All Worlds

1
The beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s smile is His sweetest feature of all.
2
His smile is like a full moon spreading its rays throughout Goloka Vṛndāvana, the spiritual sky of the Vaikuṇṭhas, and Devī-dhāma, the material world.
3
Kṛṣṇa’s shining beauty spreads in all ten directions.

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:

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 summary Back to this verse in Madhya 21

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

madhura haite su-madhurasweeter than sweet
tāhā haitethan that
su-madhurastill sweeter
tāhā haitethan that
ati su-madhurastill much more sweet
āpanāraof Himself
eka kaṇeby one particle
vyāpespreads

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”

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 image of a full moon help you reflect on Kṛṣṇa’s beauty?

Practice

Pause today to recall the image of Kṛṣṇa’s smile spreading its rays in all ten directions.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Smile Shines Throughout All WorldsThis 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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