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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.
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Ādi-līlā · Chapter 17: The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Youth
Ādi 17.203Ādi 17.205

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 17.204

আসি’ কহে,—হিন্দুর ধর্ম ভাঙ্গিল নিমাই ।

যে কীর্তন প্রবর্তাইল, কভু শুনি নাই ॥ ২০৪ ॥

āsi’ kahe, — hindura dharma bhāṅgila nimāi

ye kīrtana pravartāila, kabhu śuni nāi

Translation

“Coming to me, the Hindus complained, ‘Nimāi Paṇḍita has broken the Hindu religious principles. He has introduced the saṅkīrtana system, which we never heard from any scripture.

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 Complainants Question Saṅkīrtana

  1. 1

    The Hindus complain that Nimāi Paṇḍita has broken Hindu religious principles.

  2. 2

    They identify His introduction of the saṅkīrtana system as their concern.

  3. 3

    They say they have never heard of this system from any scripture. This is their complaint, not an established conclusion.

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:

Similarly, mother Yaśodā is the Queen of Vrajabhūmi, and in the pastimes of Lord Caitanya she is Śacīmātā. Therefore the son of Śacī is the son of Yaśodā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. āsi’coming there
  2. kahethey said
  3. hinduraof the Hindus
  4. dharmareligious principles
  5. bhāṅgilahas broken
  6. nimāiNimāi Paṇḍita
  7. yethat
  8. kīrtanacongregational chanting
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “saṅkīrtana”

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

Do I mistake something unfamiliar to me for something without scriptural support?

Practice

Before rejecting an unfamiliar religious practice today, pause to distinguish what you know from what you have not heard.

Live this todayThe Complainants Question SaṅkīrtanaThis 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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