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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 17.272

এত বলি’ ভারতী গোসাঞি কাটোয়াতে গেলা ।

মহাপ্রভু তাহা যাই’ সন্ন্যাস করিলা ॥ ২৭২ ॥

eta bali’ bhāratī gosāñi kāṭoyāte gelā

mahāprabhu tāhā yāi’ sannyāsa karilā

Translation

After saying this, Keśava Bhāratī, the spiritual master, went back to his village, Katwa. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu went there and accepted the renounced order of life [sannyāsa].

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Accepts Sannyāsa

  1. 1

    At the end of His twenty-fourth year, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left Navadvīpa and crossed the Ganges at Nidayāra-ghāṭa.

  2. 2

    He reached Kaṇṭaka-nagara, or Kāṭoyā (Katwa), where He accepted ekadaṇḍa-sannyāsa according to the Śaṅkarite system.

  3. 3

    Keśava Bhāratī belonged to the Śaṅkarite sect. He therefore could not initiate Caitanya Mahāprabhu into the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsa order, whose members carry the tridaṇḍa.

Key points from the purport
  • At the end of His twenty-fourth year, at the end of the fortnight of the waxing moon, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left Navadvīpa and crossed the river Ganges at a place known as Nidayāra-ghāṭa.
  • Then He reached Kaṇṭaka-nagara, or Kāṭoyā (Katwa), where He accepted ekadaṇḍa-sannyāsa according to the Śaṅkarite system.
  • Since Keśava Bhāratī belonged to the Śaṅkarite sect, he could not initiate Caitanya Mahāprabhu into the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsa order, whose members carry the tridaṇḍa.

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

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
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. eta bali’saying this
  2. bhāratīKeśava Bhāratī
  3. gosāñithe spiritual master
  4. kāṭoyāteto Katwa
  5. gelāwent
  6. mahāprabhuLord Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  7. tahāthere
  8. yai’going
  9. sannyāsathe renounced order of life
  10. karilāaccepted
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What distinction does this passage make between the two sannyāsa orders?

Practice

Write one sentence noting the distinction between ekadaṇḍa-sannyāsa and the Vaiṣṇava order carrying the tridaṇḍa.

Live this todayŚrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Accepts SannyāsaThis 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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