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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 23.56Madhya 23.58

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 23.57

‘রূঢ়’, ‘অধিরূঢ়’ ভাব — কেবল ‘মধুরে’ ।

মহিষীগণের ‘রূঢ়’, ‘অধিরূঢ়’ গোপিকা-নিকরে ॥ ৫৭ ॥

‘rūḍha’, ‘adhirūḍha’ bhāva — kevala ‘madhure’

mahiṣī-gaṇera ‘rūḍha’, ‘adhirūḍha’ gopikā-nikare

Translation

“Only in the conjugal mellow are there two ecstatic symptoms called rūḍha [advanced] and adhirūḍha [highly advanced]. The advanced ecstasies are found among the queens of Dvārakā, and the highly advanced ecstasies are found among the gopīs.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Advanced Ecstasies in Conjugal Love

  1. 1

    Only the conjugal mellow has the two ecstatic symptoms called rūḍha and adhirūḍha.

  2. 2

    Rūḍha means advanced ecstasy and is found among the queens of Dvārakā.

  3. 3

    Adhirūḍha means highly advanced ecstasy and is found among the gopīs.

Key points from the purport
  • The adhirūḍha ecstasies are explained in the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Sthāyi-bhāva-prakaraṇa 170):

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:

He also describes the mellow derived from conjugal love, which is the supreme emotion. Conjugal love is divided into two categories — svakīya and parakīya.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 23
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. rūḍhaadvanced
  2. adhirūḍhahighly advanced
  3. bhāvaecstasy
  4. kevalaonly
  5. madhurein the transcendental mellow of conjugal love
  6. mahiṣī-gaṇeraof the queens of Dvārakā
  7. rūḍhaadvanced
  8. adhirūḍhahighly advanced
  9. gopikā-nikareamong the gopīs
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “mellow”, “conjugal”

  • 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: “gopīs”

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 distinction does the verse make between the ecstasies of the queens of Dvārakā and those of the gopīs?

Practice

Make two vocabulary notes pairing rūḍha and adhirūḍha with their meanings and where they are found.

Live this todayAdvanced Ecstasies in Conjugal LoveThis 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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