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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 8.257Madhya 8.259

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 8.258

অরসজ্ঞ কাক চূষে জ্ঞান-নিম্বফলে ।

রসজ্ঞ কোকিল খায় প্রেমাম্র-মুকুলে ॥ ২৫৮ ॥

arasa-jña kāka cūṣe jñāna-nimba-phale

rasa-jña kokila khāya premāmra-mukule

Translation

Rāmānanda Rāya continued, “Those who are devoid of all transcendental mellows are like the crows that suck the juice from the bitter fruits of the nimba tree of knowledge, whereas those who enjoy mellows are like the cuckoos who eat the buds of the mango tree of love of Godhead.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Taste the Sweetness of Love of Godhead

  1. 1

    The speculative process of empiric philosophy is compared to the bitter fruit of the nimba tree, tasted by crows.

  2. 2

    Devotees are compared to cuckoos whose sweet voices chant the holy name of the Lord.

  3. 3

    These devotees taste the sweet fruit of love of Godhead and relish sweet mellows with the Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • The speculative process of empiric philosophy is as bitter as the fruit of the nimba tree.
  • But the cuckoolike devotees have very sweet voices with which to chant the holy name of the Lord and taste the sweet fruit of the mango tree of love of Godhead.
  • Such devotees relish sweet mellows with the Lord.

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. arasa-jñathose who are without mellows
  2. kākathe crows
  3. cūṣesuck
  4. jñānaof knowledge
  5. nimba-phaleon the bitter nimba fruit
  6. rasa-jñathose who enjoy transcendental mellows
  7. kokilathe cuckoos
  8. khāyaeat
  9. prema-āmra-mukulethe buds of the mango of love of Godhead
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 of godhead”

  • 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: “mellows”

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chant”, “holy name”

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 contrast does this verse show between speculation and chanting the Lord’s holy name?

Practice

Spend a few minutes today chanting the holy name of the Lord, remembering the sweetness of love of Godhead.

Live this todayTaste the Sweetness of Love of GodheadThis 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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