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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 17: The Pastimes of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu in His Youth
Ādi 17.292Ādi 17.294

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 17.293

রাসারম্ভবিধৌ নিলীয় বসতা কুঞ্জে মৃগাক্ষীগণৈ–

দৃষ্টং গোপয়িতুং স্বমুদ্ধুরধিয়া যা সুষ্ঠু সন্দর্শিতা ।

রাধায়াঃ প্রণয়স্য হস্ত মহিমা যস্য শিয়া রক্ষিতুং

সা শক্যা প্রভবিষ্ণুনাপি হরিণা নাসীচ্চতুর্বাহুতা ॥ ২৯৩ ॥

rāsārambha-vidhau nilīya vasatā kuñje mṛgākṣī-gaṇair

dṛṣṭaṁ gopayituṁ svam uddhura-dhiyā yā suṣṭhu sandarśitā

ādhāyāḥ praṇayasya hanta mahimā yasya śriyā rakṣituṁ

sā śakyā prabhaviṣṇunāpi hariṇā nāsīc catur-bāhutā

Translation

“Prior to the rāsa dance, Lord Kṛṣṇa hid Himself in a grove just to have fun. When the gopīs came, their eyes resembling those of deer, by His sharp intelligence He exhibited His beautiful four-armed form to hide Himself. But when Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī came there, Kṛṣṇa could not maintain His four arms in Her presence. This is the wonderful glory of Her love.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Wonderful Glory of Rādhārāṇī’s Love

  1. 1

    Before the rāsa dance, Kṛṣṇa hid in a grove for fun. When the gopīs came, He used His sharp intelligence to conceal Himself in His beautiful four-armed form.

  2. 2

    When Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī arrived, Kṛṣṇa could not maintain His four arms in Her presence. This is the wonderful glory of Her love.

  3. 3

    This verse is quoted from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Key points from the purport
  • This is a quotation from the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi (Nāyikābheda 7), by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

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:

When Śrī Kṛṣṇa assumed the form of the four-armed Nārāyaṇa, the gopīs showed their respect, but they were not very interested in Him. In the ecstatic love of the gopīs, all worshipable forms but Kṛṣṇa are rejected.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. rāsa-ārambha-vidhauin the matter of beginning the rāsa dance
  2. nilīyahaving hidden
  3. vasatāsitting
  4. kuñjein a grove
  5. mṛga-akṣī-gaṇaiḥby the gopīs, who had eyes resembling those of deer
  6. dṛṣṭambeing seen
  7. gopayitumto hide
  8. svamHimself
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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”

  • Rādhā-bhāva · The confidential inner purpose

    The Lord’s desire to taste the love and perspective of Śrī Rādhā, illuminated by later ecstatic pastimes. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “rādhārāṇī”

  • Bhāva & rasa · The language of sacred feeling

    Transcendental devotional moods and relationships, discussed explicitly in Rāmānanda’s dialogue and the teachings on prema. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “rāsa”

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

How does Kṛṣṇa’s inability to maintain four arms reveal the wonderful glory of Rādhārāṇī’s love?

Practice

Read the translation aloud and pause over its final sentence about the glory of Her love.

Live this todayThe Wonderful Glory of Rādhārāṇī’s LoveThis 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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