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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 24.49Madhya 24.51

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.50

বীক্ষ্যালকাবৃতমুখং তব কুণ্ডলশ্রী-

গণ্ডস্থলাধরসুধং হসিতাবলোকম্‌ ।

দত্তাভয়ঞ্চ ভুজদণ্ডযুগং বিলোক্য

বক্ষঃ শ্রিয়ৈকরমণঞ্চ ভবাম দাস্যঃ ॥ ৫০ ॥

vīkṣyālakāvṛta-mukhaṁ tava kuṇḍala-śrī-

gaṇḍa-sthalādhara-sudhaṁ hasitāvalokam

dattābhayaṁ ca bhuja-daṇḍa-yugaṁ vilokya

vakṣaḥ śriyaika-ramaṇaṁ ca bhavāma dāsyaḥ

Translation

“ ‘Dear Kṛṣṇa, we have simply surrendered ourselves as Your maidservants, for we have seen Your beautiful face decorated with tresses of hair, Your earrings falling upon Your cheeks, the nectar of Your lips, and the beauty of Your smile. Indeed, because we have also been embraced by Your arms, which give us courage, and seen Your chest, which is beautiful and broad, we have surrendered ourselves.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s beauty inspires surrender and service

  1. 1

    The gopīs spoke these words when they arrived near Kṛṣṇa for the rāsa dance on a full-moon night. Attracted and awestruck, they explained why they had come.

  2. 2

    They describe His beautiful face, tresses of hair, earrings, lips and smile, as well as His beautiful, broad chest.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa’s embracing arms give them courage. They declare that they have surrendered themselves as His maidservants.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.29.39) was spoken by the gopīs when they arrived near Kṛṣṇa for the rāsa dance on a full-moon night.
  • The attracted gopīs were awestruck, and they began to speak about how they came to Kṛṣṇa to enjoy the rāsa dance.

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 24.50 quotesSB 10.29.39

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.29.39) was spoken by the gopīs when they arrived near Kṛṣṇa for the rāsa dance on a full-moon night.

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. vīkṣyaseeing
  2. alaka-āvṛta-mukhamface decorated with curling tresses of hair
  3. tavaYour
  4. kuṇḍala-śrībeauty of earrings
  5. gaṇḍa-sthalafalling on Your cheeks
  6. adhara-sudhamand the nectar from Your lips
  7. hasita-avalokamYour smiling glance
  8. datta-abhayamwhich assure fearlessness
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life

    Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “embraced”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

    Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “surrendered”

  • 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: “rāsa”

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 stands out to you in the gopīs’ expression of surrender?

Practice

Read the gopīs’ words aloud once, paying special attention to their wish to serve Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s beauty inspires surrender and serviceThis 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 24.50? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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