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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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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 16: The Pastimes of the Lord in His Childhood and Youth
Ādi 16.55Ādi 16.57

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 16.56

‘গঙ্গার মহত্ত্ব’—শ্লোকে মূল ‘বিধেয়’ ।

ইদং শব্দে ‘অনুবাদ’—পাছে অবিধেয় ॥ ৫৬ ॥

‘gaṅgāra mahattva’ — śloke mūla ‘vidheya’

idaṁ śabde ‘anuvāda’ — pāche avidheya

Translation

“The glorification of the Ganges [mahattvaṁ gaṅgāyāḥ] is the principal unknown subject matter in this verse, and the known subject matter is indicated by the word ‘idam,’ which has been placed after the unknown.

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.

Notice the Order of Subject Matter

  1. 1

    The glorification of the Ganges, mahattvaṁ gaṅgāyāḥ, is the principal unknown subject matter in the verse.

  2. 2

    The word idam indicates the known subject matter.

  3. 3

    The known subject matter has been placed after the unknown.

How it feels

Grief and transformed pride. Lakṣmīdevī’s departure brings sorrow; Keśava Kāśmīrī’s pride yields to surrender.

The mood of Ādi 16 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 16: The Pastimes of the Lord in His Childhood and Youth

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

This chapter also describes the Lord’s argument with Keśava Kāśmīrī, the celebrated scholar, and the Lord’s criticism of his prayer glorifying mother Ganges. In this prayer the Lord found five kinds of literary ornaments and five kinds of literary faults, thus defeating the paṇḍita.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 16
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. gaṅgāra mahattvaglorification of mother Ganges
  2. ślokein the verse
  3. mūlachief
  4. vidheyaunknown
  5. idam śabdeby the word idam (“this”)
  6. anuvādathe known
  7. pācheat the end
  8. avidheyaimproper
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How carefully do I notice the order in which a verse presents its subject matter?

Practice

Write down mahattvaṁ gaṅgāyāḥ and idam, labeling each as unknown or known according to the translation.

Live this todayNotice the Order of Subject MatterThis 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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