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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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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 23.6Madhya 23.8

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 23.7

সম্যঙ্‌মসৃণিতস্বান্তো মমত্বাতিশয়াঙ্কিতঃ ।

ভাবঃ স এব সান্দ্রাত্মা বুধৈঃ প্রেমা নিগদ্যতে ॥ ৭ ॥

samyaṅ-masṛṇita-svānto

mamatvātiśayāṅkitaḥ

bhāvaḥ sa eva sāndrātmā

budhaiḥ premā nigadyate

Translation

“ ‘When that bhāva softens the heart completely, becomes endowed with a great feeling of possessiveness in relation to the Lord and becomes very much condensed and intensified, it is called prema [love of Godhead] by learned scholars.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Intensified Bhāva Becomes Prema

  1. 1

    Bhāva softens the heart completely.

  2. 2

    It becomes endowed with a great feeling of possessiveness in relation to the Lord.

  3. 3

    When this bhāva becomes very much condensed and intensified, learned scholars call it prema, or love of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse is also found in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu (1.4.1).

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:

In this chapter Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu describes the symptoms of emotion and love and the awakening of one’s original loving relationship with the Lord, as well as the characteristics of a devotee who has actually attained that stage. He then describes the gradual increase of love of God up to the point of mahābhāva.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 23
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. samyakcompletely
  2. masṛṇita-sva-antaḥwhich makes the heart soft
  3. mamatvaof a sense of ownership
  4. atiśaya-aṅkitaḥmarked with an abundance
  5. bhāvaḥemotion
  6. saḥthat
  7. evacertainly
  8. sāndra-ātmāwhose nature is very condensed
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”, “prema”

  • 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: “bhāva”

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 does this description show me about the depth of prema?

Practice

Reread the translation and note its three features of prema: complete softness, possessiveness toward the Lord, and intensified bhāva.

Live this todayIntensified Bhāva Becomes PremaThis 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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