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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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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 9: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Travels to the Holy Places
Madhya 9.134Madhya 9.136

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 9.135

গোপজাতি কৃষ্ণ, গোপী — প্রেয়সী তাঁহার ।

দেবী বা অন্য স্ত্রী কৃষ্ণ না করে অঙ্গীকার ॥ ১৩৫ ॥

gopa-jāti kṛṣṇa, gopī — preyasī tāṅhāra

devī vā anya strī kṛṣṇa nā kare aṅgīkāra

Translation

“Lord Kṛṣṇa belongs to the cowherd community, and the gopīs are the dearmost lovers of Kṛṣṇa. Although the wives of the denizens of the heavenly planets are most opulent within the material world, neither they nor any other women in the material universe can acquire Kṛṣṇa’s association.

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.

Opulence Cannot Secure Kṛṣṇa’s Association

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa belongs to the cowherd community.

  2. 2

    The gopīs are Kṛṣṇa’s dearmost lovers.

  3. 3

    The wives of the heavenly denizens are most opulent within the material world. Yet neither they nor any other women in the material universe can acquire Kṛṣṇa’s association.

How it feels

Wonder and inclusion. Meetings across sacred places display the broad reach of devotional mercy.

The mood of Madhya 9 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 9: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Travels to the Holy Places

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

Then the Lord went to Setubandha and took His bath at Dhanus-tīrtha. He also visited Rāmeśvara, where He collected some papers connected with Sītādevī, whose illusory form had been kidnapped by Rāvaṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 9
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. gopa-jātibelonging to the cowherd community
  2. kṛṣṇaLord Kṛṣṇa
  3. gopīthe damsels of Vrajabhūmi, the gopīs
  4. preyasīdearmost
  5. tāṅhāraHis
  6. devīthe wives of the demigods
  7. vāor
  8. anyaother
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: “gopīs”, “cowherd”

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “association”

  • 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: “lovers”

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

How does this verse challenge the importance you place on material opulence?

Practice

Take a moment today to reflect on the contrast between heavenly opulence and the gopīs’ place as Kṛṣṇa’s dearmost lovers.

Live this todayOpulence Cannot Secure Kṛṣṇa’s AssociationThis 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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