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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 3: The External Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Ādi 3.3Ādi 3.5

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 3.4

অনর্পিতচরীং চিরাৎ করুণয়াবতীর্ণঃ কলৌ

সমর্পয়িতুমুন্নতোজ্জ্বলরসাং স্বভক্তিশ্রিয়ম্‌ ।

হরিঃ পুরটসুন্দরদ্যুতিকদম্বসন্দীপিতঃ

সদা হৃদয়কন্দরে স্ফুরতু বঃ শচীনন্দনঃ ॥ ৪ ॥

anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau

samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam

hariḥ puraṭa-sundara-dyuti-kadamba-sandīpitaḥ

sadā hṛdaya-kandare sphuratu vaḥ śacī-nandanaḥ

Translation

“May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī be transcendentally situated in the innermost core of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has descended in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

An Unprecedented Gift of Devotional Love

  1. 1

    The prayer asks that the Supreme Lord, known as the son of Śrīmatī Śacī-devī, be situated in the innermost core of your heart. He shines with the radiance of molten gold.

  2. 2

    By His causeless mercy, He descends in the Age of Kali to bestow what no incarnation has offered before: the most elevated mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love.

  3. 3

    This prayer is quoted from Vidagdha-mādhava, a drama compiled and edited by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Key points from the purport
  • This is a quotation from the Vidagdha-mādhava (1.2), a drama compiled and edited 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

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:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, after displaying His pastimes as Lord Kṛṣṇa, thought it wise to make His advent in the form of a devotee to explain personally the transcendental mellows of reciprocal service and love exchanged between Himself and His servants, friends, parents and fiancées. According to the Vedic literature, the foremost occupational duty for humanity in this Age of Kali is nāma-saṅkīrtana, or congregational chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 3
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. anarpitanot bestowed
  2. carīmhaving been formerly
  3. cirātfor a long time
  4. karuṇayāby causeless mercy
  5. avatīrṇaḥdescended
  6. kalauin the Age of Kali
  7. samarpayitumto bestow
  8. unnataelevated
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “mellow”, “conjugal”

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “service”, “offered”

  • 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: “mercy”

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 do I respond to the Lord's causeless mercy in offering such an extraordinary gift?

Practice

Read the prayer slowly today, asking the Supreme Lord to be situated in the innermost core of your heart.

Live this todayAn Unprecedented Gift of Devotional 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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