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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 8: Talks Between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya
Madhya 8.214Madhya 8.216

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 8.215

সহজ গোপীর প্রেম, — নহে প্রাকৃত কাম ।

কামক্রীড়া-সাম্যে তার কহি ‘কাম’-নাম ॥ ২১৫ ॥

sahaja gopīra prema, — nahe prākṛta kāma

kāma-krīḍā-sāmye tāra kahi ‘kāma’-nāma

Translation

“It is to be noted that the natural characteristic of the gopīs is to love the Supreme Lord. Their lusty desire is not to be compared to material lust. Nonetheless, because their desire sometimes appears to resemble material lust, their transcendental love for Kṛṣṇa is sometimes described as lust.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Prema Is Service, Not Material Lust

  1. 1

    The natural characteristic of the gopīs is to love the Supreme Lord. Their love is sometimes called lust because it appears to resemble material lust.

  2. 2

    Material lust should never be attributed to Kṛṣṇa, who is full of transcendental knowledge. Only prema, or love of Godhead, satisfies Him; prema is full service rendered unto the Lord.

  3. 3

    The gopīs never act for their own personal satisfaction. They derive greater pleasure from engaging other gopīs in Kṛṣṇa’s service than from serving Him themselves.

Key points from the purport
  • Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura says that material lust should never be attributed to Kṛṣṇa, who is full of transcendental knowledge.
  • Material lust cannot be engaged in the service of the Lord, for it is applicable to materialists, not to Kṛṣṇa.
  • Lust applies to the material world, and love of Godhead applies only to Kṛṣṇa.

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

Deepening intimacy and revelation. Their exchange ascends from duty to pure love and the confidential moods of Vraja.

The mood of Madhya 8 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 8: Talks Between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya

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

He next described the position of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the transcendental mellows of love of God. Śrīla Rāmānanda Rāya then recited a verse of his own concerning the platform of ecstatic vision, technically called prema-vilāsa-vivarta.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 8
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sahajanatural
  2. gopīraof the gopīs
  3. premalove of Godhead
  4. naheis not
  5. prākṛtamaterial
  6. kāmalust
  7. kāma-krīḍālusty affairs
  8. sāmyein appearing equal to
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Prema · Love of Godhead

    The culminating devotional purpose that unites the narration: bestowed, cultivated, taught, celebrated, and tasted. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “love for krsna”, “love of godhead”, “prema”

  • Vraja-smaraṇa · Remembrance of Vṛndāvana

    The remembered sweetness of Vraja that colors Mahāprabhu’s pilgrimage, Ratha-yātrā, and later states of separation. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “gopīs”

  • 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”, “serving”

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

Am I seeking personal satisfaction in service, or seeking to satisfy Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Help someone with one small task in their service to Kṛṣṇa today, without seeking personal recognition.

Live this todayPrema Is Service, Not Material LustThis 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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