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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

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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 17: The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Youth
Ādi 17.109Ādi 17.111

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 17.110

প্রভু হাসি’ কৈলা,—তুমি কিছু না জানিলা ।

পূর্বে আমি আছিলাঙ জাতিতে গোয়ালা ॥ ১১০ ॥

prabhu hāsi’ kailā, — tumi kichu nā jānilā

pūrve āmi āchilāṅ jātite goyālā

Translation

When the astrologer was speaking so highly of Him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stopped him and began to smile. “My dear sir,” He said, “I think you do not know very clearly what I was, for I know that in My previous birth I was a cowherd boy.

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.

The Lord Recalls Being a Cowherd Boy

  1. 1

    The astrologer speaks very highly of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

  2. 2

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu stops him and begins to smile.

  3. 3

    He tells the astrologer that he does not clearly know His previous birth. The Lord says that He was a cowherd boy.

How it feels

Public courage and ecstatic joy. The saṅkīrtana movement confronts opposition and moves toward recognition and expansion.

The mood of Ādi 17 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 17: The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Youth

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

As Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Kṛṣṇa Himself assumed the position of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to taste Her ecstatic situation. No one else could do this.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. prabhuthe Lord
  2. hāsi’smiling
  3. kailāsaid
  4. tumiyou
  5. kichuanything
  6. nānot
  7. jānilāknow
  8. pūrvein the past
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Vraja-smaraṇa · Remembrance of Vṛndāvana

    The remembered sweetness of Vraja that colors Mahāprabhu’s pilgrimage, Ratha-yātrā, and later states of separation. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “cowherd”

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

What stands out to you about the Lord’s smiling response to the astrologer’s praise?

Practice

Reread the Lord’s reply aloud, noticing both His smile and His statement about being a cowherd boy.

Live this todayThe Lord Recalls Being a Cowherd BoyThis 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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