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Study a Verse

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 23.34Madhya 23.36

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 23.35

মধুরং মধুরং বপুরস্য বিভোর্মধুরং মধুরং বদনং মধুরম্ ।

মধুগন্ধি মৃদুস্মিতমেতদহো মধুরং মধুরং মধুরং মধুরম্ ॥ ৩৫ ॥

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vapur asya vibhor

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ vadanaṁ madhuram

madhu-gandhi mṛdu-smitam etad aho

madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuraṁ madhuram

Translation

“ ‘O my Lord, the transcendental body of Kṛṣṇa is very sweet, and His face is even sweeter than His body. But His soft smile, which has the fragrance of honey, is sweeter still.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Ever-Sweeter Beauty of Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental body is very sweet.

  2. 2

    His face is even sweeter than His body.

  3. 3

    His soft smile, which has the fragrance of honey, is sweeter still.

Key points from the purport
  • This is a verse quoted from Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura’s Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta (92).

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. madhuramsweet
  2. madhuramsweet
  3. vapuḥthe transcendental form
  4. asyaHis
  5. vibhoḥof the Lord
  6. madhuramsweet
  7. madhuramsweet
  8. vadanamface
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which detail of Kṛṣṇa’s sweetness draws your attention most?

Practice

Read the prayer slowly once, pausing to think of Kṛṣṇa’s soft smile.

Live this todayThe Ever-Sweeter Beauty of KṛṣṇaThis 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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