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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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 8.254

‘সর্ব ত্যজি’ জীবের কর্তব্য কাহাঁ বাস?’

‘ব্রজভূমি বৃন্দাবন যাহাঁ লীলারাস ॥’ ২৫৪ ॥

‘sarva tyaji’ jīvera kartavya kāhāṅ vāsa?’

‘vraja-bhūmi vṛndāvana yāhāṅ līlā-rāsa’

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked, “Where should the living entity live, abandoning all other places?”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Live in the Holy Place Vṛndāvana

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asks where the living entity should live, abandoning all other places.

  2. 2

    Rāmānanda Rāya answers that one should live in Vṛndāvana, also known as Vrajabhūmi.

  3. 3

    This is the holy place where the Lord performed His rāsa dance.

Key points from the purport
  • Rāmānanda Rāya replied, “He should live in the holy place known as Vṛndāvana or Vrajabhūmi, where the Lord performed His rāsa dance.”

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:

After some days, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked Rāmānanda Rāya to retire from government service and come to Jagannātha Purī. These descriptions of the meetings between Rāmānanda Rāya and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu are taken from the notebook of Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 8
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sarvaeverything
  2. tyaji’giving up
  3. jīveraof the living entity
  4. kartavyato be done
  5. kāhāṅwhere
  6. vāsaresidence
  7. vraja-bhūmithe land known as Vrajabhūmi
  8. vṛndāvanathe holy place named Vṛndāvana
  9. yāhāṅwhere
  10. līlā-rāsaLord Kṛṣṇa performed His rāsa dance
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “vṛndāvana”, “vrajabhūmi”

  • 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: “rāsa”

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 makes Vṛndāvana the place recommended in this answer?

Practice

Read the answer slowly today, pausing to remember Vṛndāvana as the place of the Lord’s rāsa dance.

Live this todayLive in the Holy Place VṛndāvanaThis 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 8.254? Get an answer from the verses themselves.