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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 13.77Ādi 13.79

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 13.78

অতএব প্রভু তাঁরে বলে, ‘বড় ভাই'।

কৃষ্ণ, বলরাম দুই—চৈতন্য, নিতাই ॥ ৭৮ ॥

ataeva prabhu tāṅre bale, ‘baḍa bhāi’

kṛṣṇa, balarāma dui — caitanya, nitāi

Translation

Because Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa is the ingredient and efficient cause of the cosmic manifestation, He is present in every detail of it. Lord Caitanya therefore called Him His elder brother. The two brothers are known as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in the spiritual world, but at the present moment they are Caitanya and Nitāi. Therefore the conclusion is that Nityānanda Prabhu is the original Saṅkarṣaṇa, Baladeva.

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.

Caitanya and Nitāi Are Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma

  1. 1

    Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa is the ingredient and efficient cause of the cosmic manifestation. He is therefore present in every detail of it.

  2. 2

    Lord Caitanya called Him His elder brother. The two brothers known as Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in the spiritual world are now Caitanya and Nitāi.

  3. 3

    The conclusion is that Nityānanda Prabhu is the original Saṅkarṣaṇa, Baladeva.

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:

Then, in 1407 Śaka Era (A.D. 1486), in the full-moon evening of the month of Phālguna, with the constellation of Siṁha (Leo) on the horizon, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared as the son of Śrī Śacīdevī and Jagannātha Miśra. After hearing of the birth of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, learned scholars and brāhmaṇas, bringing many gifts, came to see the newborn baby.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 13
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ataevatherefore
  2. prabhuLord Caitanya
  3. tāṅreunto Viśvarūpa
  4. balesays
  5. baḍa bhāielder brother
  6. kṛṣṇaLord Kṛṣṇa
  7. balarāmaand Baladeva
  8. duitwo
  9. caitanyaLord Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  10. nitāiand Lord Nityānanda Prabhu
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this verse deepen your understanding of the identities of Caitanya and Nitāi?

Practice

Write down the verse’s identification of Caitanya with Kṛṣṇa and Nityānanda Prabhu with Baladeva.

Live this todayCaitanya and Nitāi Are Kṛṣṇa and BalarāmaThis 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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