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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 17.91

পড়িতে আইলা স্তবে নৃসিংহের নাম ।

শুনিয়া আবিষ্ট হৈলা প্রভু গৌরধাম ॥ ৯১ ॥

paḍite āilā stave nṛsiṁhera nāma

śuniyā āviṣṭa hailā prabhu gauradhāma

Translation

As he read the thousand names of the Lord, in due course the holy name of Lord Nṛsiṁha appeared. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard the holy name of Lord Nṛsiṁha, He became fully absorbed in thought.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Absorption in Lord Nṛsiṁha’s Holy Name

  1. 1

    Lord Caitanya heard the thousand names of Viṣṇu with full satisfaction. On hearing Lord Nṛsiṁha’s holy name, He became fully absorbed in thought.

  2. 2

    He became angry like Nṛsiṁha Prabhu in His angry mood. His eyes became red, His bodily hairs stood on end, His body trembled, and He made a thundering sound.

  3. 3

    When He took up a club, the people became afraid and wondered what offense they had committed. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then adjusted His thoughts and sat down.

Key points from the purport
  • The Caitanya-maṅgala, Madhya-khaṇḍa, describes this incident as follows: Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita was performing the śrāddha ceremony for his father, and as is customary, he was hearing the thousand names of Lord Viṣṇu.
  • At that time Gaurahari (Lord Caitanya) appeared on the scene, and He also began to hear the thousand names of Viṣṇu with full satisfaction.
  • When He thus heard the holy name of Lord Nṛsiṁha, Lord Caitanya became absorbed in thought, and He became angry like Nṛsiṁha Prabhu in His angry mood.

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:

To understand Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī’s ecstatic love for Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa assumed the form of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The attitude of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī is considered the superexcellent devotional mentality.
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. paḍitewhile reading
  2. āilācame
  3. stavein the prayer
  4. nṛsiṁheraof Lord Nṛsiṁha
  5. nāmathe holy name
  6. śuniyāhearing
  7. āviṣṭaabsorbed
  8. hailābecame
  9. prabhuLord
  10. gaura-dhāmaŚrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
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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: “holy name”, “names of”

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 Lord’s absorption invite you to consider about attentive hearing of the holy name?

Practice

Read Lord Nṛsiṁha’s holy name aloud today and pause to listen attentively.

Live this todayAbsorption in Lord Nṛsiṁha’s Holy NameThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Ādi 17.91? Get an answer from the verses themselves.