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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 25.273Madhya 25.275

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 25.274

নানা-ভাবের ভক্তজন,     হংস-চক্রবাকগণ,

যাতে সবে’ করেন বিহার ।

কৃষ্ণকেলি সুমৃণাল,     যাহা পাই সর্বকাল,

ভক্ত-হংস করয়ে আহার ॥ ২৭৪ ॥

nānā-bhāvera bhakta-jana, haṁsa-cakravāka-gaṇa,

yāte sabe’ karena vihāra

kṛṣṇa-keli sumṛṇāla, yāhā pāi sarva-kāla,

bhakta-haṁsa karaye āhāra

Translation

The devotees who have a relationship with Kṛṣṇa are like the swans and cakravāka birds who play in that forest of lotus flowers. The buds of those lotus flowers are the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, and they are edibles for the swanlike devotees. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is always engaged in His transcendental pastimes; therefore the devotees, following in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, can always eat those lotus buds, for they are the pastimes of the Lord.

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.

Find Nourishment in Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes

  1. 1

    Devotees who have a relationship with Kṛṣṇa are compared to swans and cakravāka birds playing in a forest of lotus flowers.

  2. 2

    The lotus buds represent Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, which nourish the swanlike devotees.

  3. 3

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa is always engaged in His transcendental pastimes. By following Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, devotees can continually relish them.

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:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu returned to Jagannātha Purī through the great forest of Jhārikhaṇḍa (Jharkhand) in central India. At the end of this chapter, Kavirāja Gosvāmī sums up the incidents of the madhya-līlā and instructs every living being to read this sublime book of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s pastimes.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 25
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. nānā-bhāvera bhakta-janadevotees relishing relationships with Kṛṣṇa in different ecstasies
  2. haṁsa-cakravāka-gaṇacompared to swans and cakravāka birds
  3. yātein that place
  4. sabe’all
  5. karena vihāraenjoy life
  6. kṛṣṇa-kelithe pastimes of Kṛṣṇa
  7. su-mṛṇālasweet buds
  8. yāhā pāiwhich one can get
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “relationship”

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 can I make time to receive nourishment from Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes?

Practice

Spend a few quiet minutes reading about Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, remembering the image of lotus buds nourishing swans.

Live this todayFind Nourishment in Kṛṣṇa’s PastimesThis 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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