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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

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 Ādi 12.37

দণ্ড শুনি’ ‘বিশ্বাস’ হইল পরম দুঃখিত ।

শুনিয়া প্রভুর দণ্ড আচার্য হর্ষিত ॥ ৩৭ ॥

daṇḍa śuni’ ‘viśvāsa’ ha-ila parama duḥkhita

śuniyā prabhura daṇḍa ācārya harṣita

Translation

When Kamalākānta Viśvāsa heard about this punishment by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he was very unhappy, but when Advaita Prabhu heard about it, He was greatly pleased.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serve the Lord in Every Circumstance

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is equal to everyone. Since everyone is His part or son, He does not regard one person as a friend and another as an enemy.

  2. 2

    Kamalākānta Viśvāsa was very unhappy about the punishment, but Advaita Prabhu was pleased. He understood that the Lord had actually favored Kamalākānta Viśvāsa.

  3. 3

    A devotee should accept both difficulty and opulence as gifts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In all circumstances, one should joyfully engage in the Lord’s service.

Key points from the purport
  • Since everyone is a part or son of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Lord cannot be partial and regard someone as a friend and someone as an enemy.
  • Thus when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu punished Kamalākānta Viśvāsa by no longer allowing him to come into His presence, although the punishment was actually very hard on him, Śrī Advaita Prabhu, understanding the inner meaning of such punishment, was happy because He appreciated that the Lord had actually favored Kamalākānta Viśvāsa.
  • A devotee may be put into difficulty or opulence, but he should accept both as gifts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and jubilantly engage in the service of the Lord in all circumstances.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Ādi 12.37 quotesBG 9.29

In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.29) the Lord says, samo’haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo’sti na priyaḥ: “I envy no one, nor am I partial to anyone.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Loyalty and discernment. The narrative distinguishes fidelity to the ācārya from deviation.

The mood of Ādi 12 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 12: The Expansions of Advaita Ācārya and Gadādhara Paṇḍita

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

The story of Kamalākānta Viśvāsa concerns his borrowing three hundred rupees from Pratāparudra Mahārāja to clear a debt of Advaita Ācārya’s, for which Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu chastised him when He came to know of it. Kamalākānta Viśvāsa was then purified by the request of Śrī Advaita Ācārya.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 12
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. daṇḍapunishment
  2. śuni’hearing
  3. viśvāsaKamalākānta Viśvāsa
  4. ha-ilabecame
  5. paramavery
  6. duḥkhitaunhappy
  7. śuniyāhearing
  8. prabhuraof Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “service”

  • Audārya · Love that moves outward

    The freely offered gift of bhakti and prema, especially through nāma-saṅkīrtana and Mahāprabhu’s compassionate dealings. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “to everyone”

  • Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life

    Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “favored”

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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might accepting both difficulty and opulence as the Lord’s gifts affect your service?

Practice

Do one small act of service to the Lord today, whether your circumstances feel easy or difficult.

Live this todayServe the Lord in Every CircumstanceThis 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 12.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.