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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 25: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas
Madhya 25.157Madhya 25.159

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 25.158

তস্যারবিন্দনয়নস্য পদারবিন্দ-

কিঞ্জল্কমিশ্রতুলসীমকরন্দবায়ুঃ ।

অন্তর্গতঃ স্ববিবরেণ চকার তেষাং

সংক্ষোভমক্ষরজুষামপি চিত্ততন্বোঃ ॥ ১৫৮ ॥

tasyāravinda-nayanasya padāravinda-

kiñjalka-miśra-tulasī-makaranda-vāyuḥ

antar-gataḥ sva-vivareṇa cakāra teṣāṁ

saṅkṣobham akṣara-juṣām api citta-tanvoḥ

Translation

“ ‘When the breeze carrying the aroma of tulasī leaves and saffron from the lotus feet of the lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead entered through the nostrils into the hearts of those sages [the Kumāras], they experienced a change in both body and mind, even though they were attached to the impersonal Brahman understanding.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Fragrance Transforms the Sages

  1. 1

    A breeze carried the aroma of tulasī leaves and saffron from the lotus feet of the lotus-eyed Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    That aroma entered through the nostrils into the hearts of the Kumāras.

  3. 3

    Although attached to the impersonal Brahman understanding, the sages experienced a change in both body and mind.

Key points from the purport
  • For an explanation see Madhya-līlā, chapter seventeen, text 142.

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 25.158 quotesSB 3.15.43

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.15.43).

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

Reconciliation and broad mercy. Opponents turn toward bhakti; the Lord returns to Purī and embraces devotees.

The mood of Madhya 25 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 25: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas

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

Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī immediately fell down at the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and very much regretted his past behavior toward the Lord. He asked Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu about devotional service in terms of the Vedānta-sūtra, and the Lord told him about devotional service that is approved by great personalities who know the Vedānta-sūtra.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 25
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. tasyaof Him
  2. aravinda-nayanasyaof the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose eyes are like the petals of a lotus flower
  3. pada-aravindaof the lotus feet
  4. kiñjalkawith saffron
  5. miśramixed
  6. tulasīof tulasī leaves
  7. makarandawith the aroma
  8. vāyuḥthe air
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter

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

    In this verse: “lotus feet”

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 strikes me about the sages being changed despite their attachment to impersonal Brahman understanding?

Practice

Pause for a minute and reflect on the verse’s description of the fragrance from the Lord’s lotus feet entering the sages’ hearts.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Fragrance Transforms the SagesThis 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 25.158? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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