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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 23: Life’s Ultimate Goal — Love of Godhead
Madhya 23.17Madhya 23.20

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Madhya 23.18-19

ক্ষান্তিরব্যর্থকালত্বং বিরক্তির্মানশূন্যতা ।

আশাবন্ধঃ সমুৎকণ্ঠা নামগানে সদা রুচিঃ ॥ ১৮ ॥

kṣāntir avyartha-kālatvaṁ

viraktir māna-śūnyatā

āśā-bandhaḥ samutkaṇṭhā

nāma-gāne sadā ruciḥ

Translation

“ ‘When the seed of ecstatic emotion for Kṛṣṇa fructifies, the following nine symptoms manifest in one’s behavior: forgiveness, concern that time should not be wasted, detachment, absence of false prestige, hope, eagerness, a taste for chanting the holy name of the Lord, attachment to descriptions of the transcendental qualities of the Lord, and affection for those places where the Lord resides — that is, a temple or a holy place like Vṛndāvana. These are all called anubhāva, subordinate signs of ecstatic emotion. They are visible in a person in whose heart the seed of love of God has begun to fructify.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Love for Kṛṣṇa Shows in Behavior

  1. 1

    When the seed of ecstatic emotion for Kṛṣṇa fructifies, nine symptoms appear in one’s behavior. These are called anubhāva, subordinate signs of ecstatic emotion.

  2. 2

    These signs include forgiveness, concern that time should not be wasted, detachment, absence of false prestige, hope and eagerness.

  3. 3

    They also include a taste for chanting the Lord’s holy name, attachment to descriptions of His transcendental qualities, and affection for His places of residence, such as a temple or Vṛndāvana.

Key points from the purport
  • These two verses are found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.3.25-26).

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Theological emotional crescendo. Bhāva, prema, the devotional rasas, and mahābhāva are systematically expounded.

The mood of Madhya 23 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 23: Life’s Ultimate Goal — Love of Godhead

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

There is also a description of the sixty-four transcendental qualities of Kṛṣṇa and the twenty-five transcendental qualities of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then describes those candidates who are eligible to taste the mellows of devotional service.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 23
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kṣāntiḥforgiveness
  2. avyartha-kālatvambeing free from wasting time
  3. viraktiḥdetachment
  4. māna-śūnyatāabsence of false prestige
  5. āśā-bandhaḥhope
  6. samutkaṇṭhāeagerness
  7. nāma-gānein chanting the holy names
  8. sadāalways
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chanting”, “holy name”

  • 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: “love”

  • 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.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which of these signs invites your attention in your devotional life?

Practice

Spend a few attentive minutes chanting the holy name of the Lord today.

5

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

Quoted in 14 lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 14 lectures

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayLove for Kṛṣṇa Shows in BehaviorThis 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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