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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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Ādi-līlā · 17 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.

Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Ādi-līlā · Chapter 1: The Spiritual Masters

Ādi 1.16 Ādi 1.18

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 1.17

শ্রীমান্‌ রাসরসারম্ভী বংশীবটতটস্থিতঃ ।

কর্ষন্‌ বেণুস্বনৈর্গোপীর্গোপীনাথঃ শ্রিয়েঽস্তু নঃ ॥ ১৭ ॥

śrīmān rāsa-rasārambhī

vaṁśīvaṭa-taṭa-sthitaḥ

karṣan veṇu-svanair gopīr

gopī-nāthaḥ śriye ’stu naḥ

Translation

Śrī Śrīla Gopīnātha, who originated the transcendental mellow of the rāsa dance, stands on the shore in Vaṁśīvaṭa and attracts the attention of the cowherd damsels with the sound of His celebrated flute. May they all confer upon us their benediction.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seeking the Benediction of Gopīnātha

1
Śrī Śrīla Gopīnātha originated the transcendental mellow of the rāsa dance.
2
He stands on the shore in Vaṁśīvaṭa, attracting the attention of the cowherd damsels with His celebrated flute.
3
The author prays that they all confer their benediction upon us.

How it feels

Reverence and gratitude. The narrator takes shelter of the guru-paramparā; receptivity begins with humility.

The mood of Ādi 1 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Ādi 1: The Spiritual Masters

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

The author of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, stands as the direct disciple of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. The direct disciple of Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī was Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, who accepted Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī as his servitor.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Ādi 1

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

śrī-mānmost beautiful
rāsaof the rāsa dance
rasaof the mellow
ārambhīthe initiator
vaṁśī-vaṭaVaṁśīvaṭa
taṭaon the shore
sthitaḥstanding
karṣanattracting

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”, “rāsa”
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: “gopīnātha”, “cowherd”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the author's prayer invite you to seek their benediction?

Practice

Read the translation slowly and offer its prayer for benediction.

Live this todaySeeking the Benediction of GopīnāthaThis 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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