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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 4: Śrī Mādhavendra Purī’s Devotional Service
Madhya 4.189Madhya 4.191

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 4.190

এই ভক্তি, ভক্তপ্রিয়-কৃষ্ণ-ব্যবহার ।

বুঝিতেও আমা-সবার নাহি অধিকার ॥ ১৯০ ॥

ei bhakti, bhakta-priya-kṛṣṇa-vyavahāra

bujhiteo āmā-sabāra nāhi adhikāra

Translation

“Such behavior exhibited in loving service between the devotee and the devotee’s lovable object, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is transcendental. It is not possible for a common man to understand. Common men do not even have the capacity.”

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.

Loving Service Is Transcendental

  1. 1

    This loving exchange takes place between the devotee and Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the devotee’s lovable object. Their behavior in loving service is transcendental.

  3. 3

    A common person cannot understand such exchanges and does not have the capacity to grasp them.

How it feels

Selfless service and longing. Gopāla’s requests, Gopīnātha’s mercy, and Mādhavendra Purī’s devotion deepen the theme of longing.

The mood of Madhya 4 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 4: Śrī Mādhavendra Purī’s Devotional Service

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

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu narrated this story for Lord Nityānanda Prabhu and other devotees and praised the pure devotional service of Mādhavendra Purī. When He recited some verses composed by Mādhavendra Purī, He went into an ecstatic mood.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 4
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ei bhaktithis type of devotion
  2. bhaktaof the devotee
  3. priyaand the most lovable object
  4. kṛṣṇaLord Kṛṣṇa
  5. vyavahārathe behavior
  6. bujhiteoto understand
  7. āmā-sabāraof all of us
  8. nāhithere is not
  9. adhikārathe capacity
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “service”

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

Can I approach these loving exchanges humbly, without assuming I already understand them?

Practice

Reread the translation today and pause to acknowledge the limits of your present understanding.

Live this todayLoving Service Is TranscendentalThis 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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