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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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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 13.90

সিংহ–রাশি, সিংহ–লগ্ন, উচ্চ গ্রহগণ ।

ষড়্‌বর্গ, অষ্টবর্গ, সর্ব সুলক্ষণ ॥ ৯০ ॥

siṁha-rāśi, siṁha-lagna, ucca graha-gaṇa

ṣaḍ-varga, aṣṭa-varga, sarva sulakṣaṇa

Translation

[According to the Jyotir-veda, or Vedic astrology, the auspicious birth moment is described as follows:] The moon was in Leo [the figure of the lion in the zodiac], Leo was the ascendant, several planets were strongly positioned, and the ṣaḍ-varga and aṣṭa-varga showed all-auspicious influences.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Astrological Calculations Indicate an All-Auspicious Birth

  1. 1

    The moon was in Leo, and Leo was the ascendant. Several planets were strongly positioned, while the ṣaḍ-varga and aṣṭa-varga showed all-auspicious influences.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains that ṣaḍ-varga means six divisions and aṣṭa-varga means eight divisions. According to Jyotir-vedic astrology, these calculations help determine auspicious and inauspicious influences.

  3. 3

    Those who know the astrological scriptures are called horā-śāstra-vit. Using calculations from the horā scriptures, Nīlāmbara Cakravartī ascertained the auspicious moment when the Lord would appear.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, who was previously a great astrologer, explains this verse as follows: The ṣaḍ-varga (six divisions) are technically called kṣetra, horā, drekkāṇa, navāṁśa, dvādaśāṁśa and triṁśāṁśa.
  • According to Jyotir-vedic astrology, when the relationship between the planets and the rulers of these six divisions is determined, the auspiciousness of the moment of birth can be calculated.
  • On the strength of astrological calculations from the horā scriptures, Nīlāmbara Cakravartī, the grandfather of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, had ascertained the auspicious moment when the Lord would appear.

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:

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. siṁhathe lion
  2. rāśisign of the zodiac
  3. siṁhathe lion
  4. lagnabirth moment
  5. uccahigh
  6. graha-gaṇaall planets
  7. ṣaṭ-vargasix divisions
  8. aṣṭa-vargaeight divisions
  9. sarvaall
  10. su-lakṣaṇasymptoms of auspiciousness
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How were Nīlāmbara Cakravartī’s calculations connected with the Lord’s appearance?

Practice

Make a two-line glossary: ṣaḍ-varga means six divisions, and aṣṭa-varga means eight divisions.

Live this todayAstrological Calculations Indicate an All-Auspicious BirthThis 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 13.90? Get an answer from the verses themselves.