1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
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 23.49Madhya 23.51

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 23.50

দ্বিবিধ ‘বিভাব’, — আলম্বন, উদ্দীপন ।

বংশীস্বরাদি — ‘উদ্দীপন,’ কৃষ্ণাদি — ‘আলম্বন’ ॥ ৫০ ॥

dvividha ‘vibhāva’, — ālambana, uddīpana

vaṁśī-svarādi — ‘uddīpana’, kṛṣṇādi — ‘ālambana’

Translation

“There are two kinds of particular ecstasies [vibhāva]. One is called the support, and the other is called the awakening. The vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute is an example of the awakening, and Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself is an example of the support.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Support; His Flute Awakens

  1. 1

    There are two kinds of particular ecstasies, called vibhāva.

  2. 2

    One is called the support, and Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself is its example.

  3. 3

    The other is called the awakening, and the vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute is its example.

Key points from the purport
  • In the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (2.1.14), vibhāva is described as follows:

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. dvi-vidhatwo kinds
  2. vibhāvaparticular ecstasy
  3. ālambanathe support
  4. uddīpanaawakening
  5. vaṁśī-svara-ādisuch as the vibration of the flute
  6. uddīpanaexciting
  7. kṛṣṇa-ādiKṛṣṇa and others
  8. ālambanathe support
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How do these two examples help you distinguish the support from the awakening?

Practice

Make two brief notes today: “Support — Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself” and “Awakening — the vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute.”

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Support; His Flute AwakensThis 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 23.50? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters