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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 24: The Sixty-One Explanations of the Ātmārāma Verse
Madhya 24.33Madhya 24.35

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.34

কান্তাগণের রতি পায় ‘মহাভাব’-সীমা ।

‘ভক্তি’-শব্দের এই সব অর্থের মহিমা ॥ ৩৪ ॥

kāntā-gaṇera rati pāya ‘mahābhāva’-sīmā

‘bhakti’-śabdera ei saba arthera mahimā

Translation

“The gopīs of Vṛndāvana who are attached to Kṛṣṇa in conjugal love can increase their ecstatic love up to the point of mahābhāva, the greatest ecstatic love. These are some of the glorious meanings of the word ‘bhakti.’

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Conjugal Love Reaches the Greatest Ecstatic Love

  1. 1

    The gopīs of Vṛndāvana are attached to Kṛṣṇa in conjugal love.

  2. 2

    Their ecstatic love can increase to mahābhāva, the greatest ecstatic love.

  3. 3

    These descriptions of love reveal some of the glorious meanings of the word ‘bhakti.’

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 analyzed all the words and described each word with its different connotations. Adding the words ca and api, He described all the different meanings 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. kāntā-gaṇeraof the devotees in conjugal love
  2. ratithe attraction
  3. pāyaattain
  4. mahā-bhāva-sīmāthe limit of mahābhāva
  5. bhakti-śabderaof the word bhakti
  6. ei sabaall these
  7. artheraof the meanings
  8. mahimāof the glories
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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”

  • 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: “ecstatic love”

  • 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: “conjugal”

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

How does this verse deepen your understanding of what ‘bhakti’ means?

Practice

Write down ‘mahābhāva — the greatest ecstatic love’ and read the translation once more.

Live this todayConjugal Love Reaches the Greatest Ecstatic 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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