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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 3: The External Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Ādi 3.48Ādi 3.50

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 3.49

সুবর্ণবর্ণো হেমাঙ্গো বরাঙ্গশ্চন্দনাঙ্গদী ।

সন্ন্যাসকৃচ্ছমঃ শান্তো নিষ্ঠাশান্তিপরায়ণঃ ॥ ৪৯ ॥

suvarṇa-varṇo hemāṅgo

varāṅgaś candanāṅgadī

sannyāsa-kṛc chamaḥ śānto

niṣṭhā-śānti-parāyaṇaḥ

Translation

“In His early pastimes He appears as a householder with a golden complexion. His limbs are beautiful, and His body, smeared with the pulp of sandalwood, seems like molten gold. In His later pastimes He accepts the sannyāsa order, and He is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion, for He silences the impersonalist nondevotees.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Lord Caitanya Is Kṛṣṇa Himself

  1. 1

    Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa explains that the evidence of the Upaniṣads establishes Lord Caitanya as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    His golden complexion is compared to molten gold. His personality is as fascinating as gold is attractive, and His limbs are exquisitely beautiful.

  3. 3

    In His early pastimes He is a householder; later He accepts sannyāsa and is equipoised and peaceful. He is the highest abode of peace and devotion.

Key points from the purport
  • In his commentary on the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma, called the Nāmārtha-sudhā, Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa, commenting upon this verse, asserts that Lord Caitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to the evidence of the Upaniṣads.
  • Rukma-varṇaṁ kartāram īśam refers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead as having a complexion the color of molten gold.
  • Another meaning of the description of the Lord as having a golden hue is that Lord Caitanya’s personality is as fascinating as gold is attractive.

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 appearance of Lord Caitanya is both significant and confidential. He can be appreciated only by pure devotees and only through the process of devotional service.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 3
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. suvarṇaof gold
  2. varṇaḥhaving the color
  3. hema-aṅgaḥwhose body was like molten gold
  4. vara-aṅgaḥhaving a most beautiful body
  5. candana-aṅgadīwhose body was smeared with sandalwood
  6. sannyāsa-kṛtpracticing the renounced order of life
  7. śamaḥequipoised
  8. śāntaḥpeaceful
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself shape your appreciation of His beautiful form?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once, giving special attention to His golden form and peaceful nature.

Live this todayLord Caitanya Is Kṛṣṇa HimselfThis 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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