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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 23.43Madhya 23.45

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 23.44

ইহা যৈছে ক্রমে নির্মল, ক্রমে বাড়ে স্বাদ ।

রতি-প্রেমাদির তৈছে বাড়য়ে আস্বাদ ॥ ৪৪ ॥

ihā yaiche krame nirmala, krame bāḍe svāda

rati-premādira taiche bāḍaye āsvāda

Translation

“One should understand that just as the taste of sugar increases as it is gradually purified, so when love of Godhead increases from rati, which is compared to the beginning seed, its taste increases.

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’s Taste Increases as It Develops

  1. 1

    The taste of sugar increases as it is gradually purified.

  2. 2

    Love of Godhead develops from rati, which is compared to the beginning seed.

  3. 3

    As love of Godhead increases, its taste also increases.

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. ihāthis
  2. yaichelike
  3. krameby succession
  4. nirmalapure
  5. kramegradually
  6. bāḍeincreases
  7. svādataste
  8. ratifrom attachment
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”

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

How does the image of a beginning seed shape your understanding of developing love of Godhead?

Practice

Read the comparison slowly today, pausing to reflect on how increasing love brings increasing taste.

Live this todayLove’s Taste Increases as It DevelopsThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 23.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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