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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 24: The Sixty-One Explanations of the Ātmārāma Verse
Madhya 24.175Madhya 24.177

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.176

প্রায়ো বতাম্ব মুনয়ো বিহগা বনেঽস্মিন্

কৃষ্ণেক্ষিতং তদুদিতং কলবেণুগীতম্ ।

আরুহ্য যে দ্রুমভুজান্ রুচিরপ্রবালান্

শৃণ্বন্তি মীলিতদৃশো বিগতান্যবাচঃ ॥ ১৭৬ ॥

prāyo batāmba munayo vihagā vane ’smin

kṛṣṇekṣitaṁ tad-uditaṁ kala-veṇu-gītam

āruhya ye druma-bhujān rucira-pravālān

śṛṇvanti mīlita-dṛśo vigatānya-vācaḥ

Translation

“ ‘My dear mother, in this forest, all the birds, after rising on the beautiful branches of the trees, are closing their eyes and, not being attracted by any other sound, are simply listening to the vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute. Such birds must be on the same level as great saints.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Listen to Kṛṣṇa with Undivided Attention

  1. 1

    The gopīs spoke these words while lamenting in separation from Kṛṣṇa. They were observing how the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana enjoyed life like saintly persons.

  2. 2

    The birds sit on beautiful tree branches with their eyes closed. Unattracted by any other sound, they simply listen to Kṛṣṇa’s flute.

  3. 3

    The gopīs say that such birds must be on the same level as great saints. Their description highlights the birds’ absorbed listening.

Key points from the purport
  • This statement was made by the gopīs, who were lamenting in separation from Kṛṣṇa and studying how the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana were enjoying life like saintly persons.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 24.176 quotesSB 10.21.14

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.21.14).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Intellectual wonder humbled. Many explanations converge on the attractiveness of devotion; a hunter’s heart is transformed.

The mood of Madhya 24 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 24: The Sixty-One Explanations of the Ātmārāma Verse

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He then concluded that different classes of transcendentalists ( jñānīs, karmīs, yogīs ) utilize this verse according to their own interpretation, but if they would give up this process and surrender to Kṛṣṇa, as indicated by the verse itself, they would be able to comprehend the real meaning of the verse.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 24
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. prāyaḥalmost
  2. batacertainly
  3. ambaO mother
  4. munayaḥgreat sages
  5. vihagāḥthe birds
  6. vanein the forest
  7. asminthis
  8. kṛṣṇa-īkṣitamseeing the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Kīrtana community · A movement of shared hearts

    Devotional community as a living network of branches, service, festivals, care, and collective chanting. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “branches”

  • Vipralambha · Love in separation

    Separation that intensifies remembrance and longing; especially central to the confidential pastimes at Purī. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “separation”, “lamenting”

  • 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: “vṛndāvana”, “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 can I learn from the birds’ undivided attention to Kṛṣṇa’s flute?

Practice

Read the birds’ description slowly today, putting aside distractions and reflecting on their absorbed attention to Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayListen to Kṛṣṇa with Undivided AttentionThis 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 24.176? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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