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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 4: The Confidential Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Ādi 4.151Ādi 4.153

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 4.152

অটদি যদ্‌ ভবানহ্নি কাননং

ত্রিটির্যুগায়তে ত্বামপশ্যতাম ।

কুটিলকুন্তলং শ্রীমুখং চ তে

জড় উদীক্ষতাং পক্ষ্মকৃদ্দৃশাম্‌ ॥ ১৫২ ॥

aṭati yad bhavān ahni kānanaṁ

truṭir yugāyate tvām apaśyatām

kuṭila-kuntalaṁ śrī-mukhaṁ ca te

jaḍa udīkṣatāṁ pakṣma-kṛd dṛśām

Translation

[The gopīs said:] “O Kṛṣṇa, when You go to the forest during the day and we do not see Your sweet face, which is surrounded by beautiful curling hair, half a second becomes as long as an entire age for us. And we consider the creator, who has put eyelids on the eyes we use for seeing You, to be simply a fool.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Gopīs Long for Uninterrupted Sight

  1. 1

    The gopīs speak these words to Kṛṣṇa in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They describe His sweet face surrounded by beautiful curling hair.

  2. 2

    When Kṛṣṇa goes to the forest during the day, they cannot see Him. Half a second then feels as long as an entire age.

  3. 3

    Even while seeing Kṛṣṇa, they object to the interruption caused by eyelids. They therefore call the creator who made them a fool.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse is spoken by the gopīs in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.31.15).

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 4.152 quotesSB 10.31.15

This verse is spoken by the gopīs in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.31.15).

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

Profound longing. Kṛṣṇa desires to taste Rādhā’s love, His own sweetness as She sees it, and Her joy.

The mood of Ādi 4 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 4: The Confidential Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

The second reason for His appearance was to understand the transcendental mellow of Himself. Lord Kṛṣṇa is all sweetness.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 4
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. aṭatigoes
  2. yatwhen
  3. bhavānYour Lordship
  4. ahniin the day
  5. kānanamto the forest
  6. truṭiḥhalf a second
  7. yugāyateappears like a yuga
  8. tvāmYou
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Vraja-smaraṇa · Remembrance of Vṛndāvana

    The remembered sweetness of Vraja that colors Mahāprabhu’s pilgrimage, Ratha-yātrā, and later states of separation. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “gopīs”

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 do the gopīs’ words about time and eyelids reveal about their longing to see Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend a minute rereading the gopīs’ words, noticing their longing both when Kṛṣṇa is away and when He is visible.

Live this todayThe Gopīs Long for Uninterrupted SightThis 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 4.152? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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