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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 9.146

সিদ্ধান্ততস্ত্বভেদেঽপি শ্রীশ-কৃষ্ণস্বরূপয়োঃ ।

রসেনোৎকৃষ্যতে কৃষ্ণরূপমেষা রসস্থিতিঃ ॥ ১৪৬ ॥

siddhāntatas tv abhede ’pi

śrīśa-kṛṣṇa-svarūpayoḥ

rasenotkṛṣyate kṛṣṇa-

rūpam eṣā rasa-sthitiḥ

Translation

“ ‘According to transcendental realization, there is no difference between the forms of Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa. Yet in Kṛṣṇa there is a special transcendental attraction due to the conjugal mellow, and consequently He surpasses Nārāyaṇa. This is the conclusion of transcendental mellows.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Special Transcendental Attraction

  1. 1

    According to transcendental realization, there is no difference between the forms of Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa. Yet Kṛṣṇa surpasses Nārāyaṇa through the special attraction of the conjugal mellow.

  2. 2

    This verse appears in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, although the conversation between Lord Caitanya and Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa occurred before that work was composed.

  3. 3

    Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains that this verse and others like it were already current among devotees. They would quote these verses and explain their meaning in ecstasy.

Key points from the purport
  • But since their conversation took place long, long before the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu was composed, the question my be raised as to how either of them quoted the verse.
  • Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains that this verse and many others like it were current among devotees long before the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu was composed.
  • Thus devotees would always quote them and explain their purport in ecstasy.

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

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:

He also visited Rāmeśvara, where He collected some papers connected with Sītādevī, whose illusory form had been kidnapped by Rāvaṇa. The Lord next visited the places known as Pāṇḍya-deśa, the Tāmraparṇī River, Naya-tripati, Ciyaḍatalā, Tila-kāñcī, Gajendra-mokṣaṇa, Pānāgaḍi, Cāmtāpura, Śrī Vaikuṇṭha, Malaya-parvata and Kanyā-kumārī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 9
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. siddhāntataḥin reality
  2. tubut
  3. abhedeno difference
  4. apialthough
  5. śrī-īśaof the husband of Lakṣmī, Nārāyaṇa
  6. kṛṣṇaof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  7. svarūpayoḥbetween the forms
  8. rasenaby transcendental mellows
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “mellow”, “conjugal”

  • 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: “conversation”

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 teaching hold together the oneness of Kṛṣṇa and Nārāyaṇa with Kṛṣṇa’s special attraction?

Practice

Read the translation aloud once, noting both the absence of difference and the special attraction of Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Special Transcendental AttractionThis 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 9.146? Get an answer from the verses themselves.