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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 24.207Madhya 24.209

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.208

বনলতাস্তরব আত্মনি বিষ্ণুং

ব্যঞ্জয়ন্ত্য ইব পুষ্পফলাঢ্যাঃ ।

প্রণতভারবিটপা মধুধারাঃ

প্রেমহৃষ্টতনবো ববৃষুঃ স্ম ॥ ২০৮ ॥

vana-latās tarava ātmani viṣṇuṁ

vyañjayantya iva puṣpa-phalāḍhyāḥ

praṇata-bhāra-viṭapā madhu-dhārāḥ

prema-hṛṣṭa-tanavo vavṛṣuḥ sma

Translation

“ ‘The plants, creepers and trees were full of fruits and flowers due to ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, being so full, they were bowing down. They were inspired by such deep love for Kṛṣṇa that they were constantly pouring showers of honey. In this way the gopīs saw all the forests of Vṛndāvana.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Forest Overflows with Love for Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The plants, creepers and trees are full of fruits and flowers because of ecstatic love of Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    So full are they that they bow down. Inspired by deep love for Kṛṣṇa, they constantly pour showers of honey.

  3. 3

    The gopīs see all the forests of Vṛndāvana in this way. Their description presents the forest as overflowing with love for Kṛṣṇa.

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. vana-latāḥthe herbs and plants
  2. taravaḥthe trees
  3. ātmaniin the Supreme Soul
  4. viṣṇumthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. vyañjayantyaḥmanifesting
  6. ivalike
  7. puṣpa-phala-āḍhyāḥfilled with luxuriant fruits and flowers
  8. praṇata-bhārabowed down because of loads
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 krsna”, “love for krsna”, “ecstatic love”

  • 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 do the images of bowing trees and flowing honey help you appreciate about love for Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend one minute reflecting on the trees bowing under their fruits and flowers out of love for Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayThe Forest Overflows with Love for KṛṣṇaThis 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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