1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Ādi-līlā · 17 chapters

1234567891011121314151617
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 ›
Ādi-līlā · Chapter 1: The Spiritual Masters
Ādi 1.78Ādi 1.81

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Ādi 1.79-80

ঈশ্বরের শক্তি হয় এ–তিন প্রকার ।

এক লক্ষ্মীগণ, পুরে মহিষীগণ আর ॥ ৭৯ ॥

ব্রজে গোপীগণ আর সবেতে প্রধান ।

ব্রজেন্দ্রনন্দন যা’তে স্বয়ং ভগবান্‌ ॥ ৮০ ॥

īśvarera śakti haya e-tina prakāra

eka lakṣmī-gaṇa, pure mahiṣī-gaṇa āra

Translation

The energies [consorts] of the Supreme Lord are of three kinds: the Lakṣmīs in Vaikuṇṭha, the queens in Dvārakā and the gopīs in Vṛndāvana. The gopīs are the best of all, for they have the privilege of serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the primeval Lord, the son of the King of Vraja.

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.

The Gopīs’ Privilege Is Serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord’s energies, or consorts, are of three kinds.

  2. 2

    They are the Lakṣmīs in Vaikuṇṭha, the queens in Dvārakā and the gopīs in Vṛndāvana.

  3. 3

    The gopīs are the best of all because they have the privilege of serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the primeval Lord and son of the King of Vraja.

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

Further reading

Ādi 1: The Spiritual Masters

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

Next considered are the potencies of the Lord, of which three principal manifestations are described: the consorts in the kingdom of God (Vaikuṇṭha), the queens of Dvārakā-dhāma and, highest of all, the damsels of Vrajadhāma. Finally, there is the Supreme Lord Himself, who is the fountainhead of all these manifestations.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 1
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. īśvareraof the Supreme Lord
  2. śaktienergy
  3. hayais
  4. e-tinathese three
  5. prakārakinds
  6. ekaone
  7. lakṣmī-gaṇathe goddesses of fortune in Vaikuṇṭha
  8. purein Dvārakā
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”, “vraja”, “gopīs”

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “serving”

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 does the gopīs’ special position teach me about the privilege of serving Śrī Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Pause today to reflect on the translation’s description of service to Śrī Kṛṣṇa as a privilege.

Live this todayThe Gopīs’ Privilege Is Serving Śrī KṛṣṇaThis 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 Ādi 1.79-80? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters