1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Ādi-līlā · 17 chapters

1234567891011121314151617
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 3: The External Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Ādi 3.38Ādi 3.40

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 3.39

দ্বাপরে ভগবান্‌ শ্যামঃ পীতবাসা নিজায়ুধঃ ।

শ্রীবৎসাদিভিরঙ্কৈশ্চ লক্ষণৈরুপলক্ষিতঃ ॥ ৩৯ ॥

dvāpare bhagavān śyāmaḥ

pīta-vāsā nijāyudhaḥ

śrīvatsādibhir aṅkaiś ca

lakṣaṇair upalakṣitaḥ

Translation

“In the Dvāpara-yuga the Personality of Godhead appears in a blackish hue. He is dressed in yellow, He holds His own weapons, and He is decorated with the Kaustubha jewel and marks of Śrīvatsa. This is how His symptoms are described.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognizing the Lord’s Features in Dvāpara-yuga

  1. 1

    In Dvāpara-yuga, the Personality of Godhead appears in a blackish hue and is dressed in yellow.

  2. 2

    He holds His own weapons and is decorated with the Kaustubha jewel and marks of Śrīvatsa.

  3. 3

    This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was spoken by Saint Karabhājana. He was one of the nine royal mystics who explained to King Nimi the Lord’s different features in different ages.

Key points from the purport
  • This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.27), spoken by Saint Karabhājana, one of the nine royal mystics who explained to King Nimi the different features of the Lord in different ages.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Ādi 3.39 quotesSB 11.5.27

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.27), spoken by Saint Karabhājana, one of the nine royal mystics who explained to King Nimi the different features of the Lord in different ages.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Compassion and urgency. The holy name is offered for the age; divine love moves outward toward others.

The mood of Ādi 3 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 3: The External Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He has described bodily symptoms in Lord Caitanya that are visible only in the person of the Supreme Lord, and he has proved that Lord Caitanya appeared with His personal associates — Śrī Nityānanda, Advaita, Gadādhara, Śrīvāsa and other devotees — to preach the special significance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. The appearance of Lord Caitanya is both significant and confidential.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 3
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. dvāparein the Dvāpara-yuga
  2. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  3. śyāmaḥblackish
  4. pīta-vāsāḥhaving yellow clothes
  5. nijaown
  6. āyudhaḥhaving weapons
  7. śrīvatsa-ādibhiḥsuch as Śrīvatsa
  8. aṅkaiḥby bodily markings
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which of the Lord’s features in this description is easiest for you to remember?

Practice

Read the description slowly today, then recall three of the Lord’s features without looking.

Live this todayRecognizing the Lord’s Features in Dvāpara-yugaThis 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 3.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters