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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 25: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas
Madhya 25.277Madhya 25.279

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 25.278

যে লীলা-অমৃত বিনে,     খায় যদি অন্নপানে,

তবে ভক্তের দুর্বল জীবন ।

যার একবিন্দু-পানে,     উৎফুল্লিত তনুমনে,

হাসে, গায়, করয়ে নর্তন ॥ ২৭৮ ॥

ye līlā-amṛta vine, khāya yadi anna-pāne,

tabe bhaktera durbala jīvana

yāra eka-bindu-pāne, utphullita tanu-mane,

hāse, gāya, karaye nartana

Translation

Men become strong and stout by eating sufficient grains, but the devotee who simply eats ordinary grains but does not taste the transcendental pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa gradually becomes weak and falls down from the transcendental position. However, if one drinks but a drop of the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, his body and mind begin to bloom, and he begins to laugh, sing and dance.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Regular Reading Nourishes Devotional Life

  1. 1

    Ordinary grains strengthen the body, but devotees also need to taste the pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa. Without this nourishment, they gradually weaken and fall from the transcendental position.

  2. 2

    Even a drop of the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes makes the body and mind bloom, bringing laughter, song and dance.

  3. 3

    The purport urges devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to read all the translated books, including Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. Otherwise, they risk merely eating and sleeping and missing the opportunity for eternal, blissful life.

Key points from the purport
  • All the devotees connected with the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must read all the books that have been translated (the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā and others); otherwise, after some time, they will simply eat, sleep and fall down from their position.
  • Thus they will miss the opportunity to attain an eternal, blissful life of transcendental pleasure.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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. yehe who
  2. līlāof the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  3. amṛta vinewithout nectar
  4. khāya yadi anna-pāneif one eats only ordinary food grains
  5. tabethen
  6. bhakteraof the devotees
  7. durbala jīvanalife becomes weakened
  8. yāraof which
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I nourishing my devotional life through reading as regularly as I nourish my body?

Practice

Set aside ten minutes today to read Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or Bhagavad-gītā.

Live this todayRegular Reading Nourishes Devotional LifeThis 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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