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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 23.2Madhya 23.4

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 23.3

এবে শুন ভক্তিফল ‘প্রেম’-প্রয়োজন ।

যাহার শ্রবণে হয় ভক্তিরস-জ্ঞান ॥ ৩ ॥

ebe śuna bhakti-phala ‘prema’-prayojana

yāhāra śravaṇe haya bhakti-rasa-jñāna

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “Now hear, O Sanātana, about the result of devotional service, which is love of Godhead, life’s ultimate goal. One who hears this description will be enlightened in the transcendental mellows of devotional service.

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.

Love of Godhead Is Life’s Ultimate Goal

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asks Sanātana to hear about the result of devotional service.

  2. 2

    That result is love of Godhead, which is life’s ultimate goal.

  3. 3

    Hearing this description brings enlightenment in the transcendental mellows of devotional service.

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:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then describes those candidates who are eligible to taste the mellows of devotional service. Their fundamental natures and their varieties are also described.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 23
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ebe śunanow hear
  2. bhakti-phalathe result of practice of devotional service
  3. premalove of Godhead
  4. prayojanathe ultimate goal of life
  5. yāhāra śravaṇeby hearing of which
  6. hayathere is
  7. bhakti-rasa-jñānatranscendental knowledge of the mellows of devotional service
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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 of godhead”

  • 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”

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “service”

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 changes when I see love of Godhead as life’s ultimate goal?

Practice

Read this translation slowly once more, attending especially to the goal of devotional service.

Live this todayLove of Godhead Is Life’s Ultimate GoalThis 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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