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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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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 17.242

কভু দুর্গা, লক্ষ্মী হয়, কভু বা চিচ্ছক্তি ।

খাটে বসি’ ভক্তগণে দিলা প্রেমভক্তি ॥ ২৪২ ॥

kabhu durgā, lakṣmī haya, kabhu vā cic-chakti

khāṭe vasi’ bhakta-gaṇe dilā prema-bhakti

Translation

The Lord sometimes took the part of Goddess Durgā, Lakṣmī [the goddess of fortune] or the chief potency, Yogamāyā. Sitting on a cot, He delivered love of Godhead to all the devotees present.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Gives Love of Godhead

  1. 1

    The Lord sometimes took the part of Goddess Durgā or Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune.

  2. 2

    He also took the part of Yogamāyā, the chief potency.

  3. 3

    Sitting on a cot, He delivered love of Godhead to all the devotees present.

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:

The same Absolute Truth who enjoys as Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmasundara, who plays His flute and dances with the gopīs, sometimes takes birth in a brāhmaṇa family and plays the part of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, accepting the renounced order of life. It appears contradictory that the same Kṛṣṇa accepted the ecstasy of the gopīs, and of course this is very difficult for an ordinary person to understand.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 17
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kabhusometimes
  2. durgāthe part of Goddess Durgā
  3. lakṣmīthe goddess of fortune
  4. hayais
  5. kabhusometimes
  6. vāor
  7. cit-śaktithe spiritual potency
  8. khāṭeon a cot
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life

    Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “delivered”

  • Prema · Love of Godhead

    The culminating devotional purpose that unites the narration: bestowed, cultivated, taught, celebrated, and tasted. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “love of godhead”

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 does the gift of love of Godhead mean to you as you read this verse?

Practice

Pause today and reflect on the words “love of Godhead,” the gift the Lord gave.

Live this todayThe Lord Gives Love of GodheadThis 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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