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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 ›
Ādi-līlā · Chapter 13: The Advent of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Ādi 13.116Ādi 13.118

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 13.117

দুর্বা, ধান্য, দিল শীর্ষে, কৈল বহু আশীষে,

চিরজীবী হও দুই ভাই ।

ডাকিনী–শাঁখিনী হৈতে, শঙ্কা উপজিল চিতে,

ডরে নাম থুইল ‘নিমাই’ ॥ ১১৭ ॥

durvā, dhānya, dila śīrṣe, kaila bahu āśīṣe,

cirajīvī hao dui bhāi

ḍākinī-śāṅkhinī haite, śaṅkā upajila cite,

ḍare nāma thuila ’nimāi’

Translation

She blessed the newborn child by placing fresh grass and paddy on His head and saying, “May You be blessed with a long duration of life.” But being afraid of ghosts and witches, she gave the child the name Nimāi.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Why the Lord Was Named Nimāi

  1. 1

    Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī placed fresh grass and paddy on the child’s head and blessed Him with a long life.

  2. 2

    The purport describes the belief that inauspicious ghostly beings cannot approach a nima tree, along with the tree’s antiseptic uses. Because of these qualities and because Lord Caitanya was born beneath a nima tree, she named Him Nimāi.

  3. 3

    His real name was Viśvambhara. Later, in His youth, He became celebrated as Nimāi Paṇḍita.

Key points from the purport
  • At least medically it is accepted that nima wood is extremely antiseptic, and formerly it was customary to have a nima tree in front of one’s house.
  • Because of all the antiseptic effects of the nima tree and because Lord Caitanya was born beneath a nima tree, Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī gave the Lord the name Nimāi.
  • Later in His youth He was celebrated as Nimāi Paṇḍita, and in the neighborhood villages He was called by that name, although His real name was Viśvambhara.

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

Jubilation and hope. The Lord appears in Navadvīpa; the theological promise becomes a lived story.

The mood of Ādi 13 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 13: The Advent of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, who was a great astrologer, immediately prepared a horoscope, and by astrological calculation he saw that the child was a great personality. This chapter describes the symptoms of this great personality.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 13
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. durvāfresh grass
  2. dhānyapaddy
  3. dilagave
  4. śīrṣeon the head
  5. kailadid
  6. bahuwith much
  7. āśīṣeblessing
  8. cira-jīvīlive long
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “blessed”

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 knowing the reason for the name Nimāi help you remember this account?

Practice

Write one sentence explaining why Sītā Ṭhākurāṇī gave the Lord the name Nimāi.

Live this todayWhy the Lord Was Named NimāiThis 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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