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 4: The Confidential Reasons for the Appearance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Ādi 4.195Ādi 4.197

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 4.196

উপেত্য পথি সুন্দরীততিভিরাভিরভ্যর্চিতং

স্মিতাঙ্কুরকরম্বিতৈর্নটদপাঙ্গভঙ্গীশতৈঃ ।

স্তন–স্তবকসঞ্চরন্নয়নচঞ্চরীকাঞ্চলং

ব্রজে বিজয়িনং ভজে বিপিনদেশতঃ কেশবম্‌ ॥ ১৯৬ ॥

upetya pathi sundarī-tatibhir ābhir abhyarcitaṁ

smitāṅkura-karambitair naṭad-apāṅga-bhaṅgī-śataiḥ

stana-stavaka-sañcaran-nayana-cañcarīkāñcalaṁ

vraje vijayinaṁ bhaje vipina-deśataḥ keśavam

Translation

“I worship Lord Keśava. Coming back from the forest of Vraja, He is worshiped by the gopīs, who mount the roofs of their palaces and meet Him on the path with a hundred manners of dancing glances and gentle smiles. The corners of His eyes wander, like large black bees, around the gopīs’ breasts.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Gopīs Welcome Lord Keśava

  1. 1

    This prayer worships Lord Keśava as He returns from the forest of Vraja.

  2. 2

    The gopīs mount their palace roofs and meet Him on the path, worshiping Him with dancing glances and gentle smiles. His glances move toward them like large black bees.

  3. 3

    The purport identifies this prayer as a statement from the Keśavāṣṭaka of the Stava-mālā, compiled by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.

Key points from the purport
  • This statement appears in the Keśavāṣṭaka (8) of the Stava-mālā, compiled 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

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:

These were secondary reasons. Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī was the principal figure among Lord Caitanya’s confidential devotees.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 4
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. upetyahaving mounted their palaces
  2. pathion the path
  3. sundarī-tatibhiḥ ābhiḥby the women of Vraja
  4. abhyarcitamwho is worshiped
  5. smita-aṅkura-karambitaiḥintermingled with the sprouts of gentle smiles
  6. naṭatdancing
  7. apāṅgaof glances
  8. bhaṅgī-śataiḥwith a hundred manners
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: “vraja”, “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 draws your attention in this loving welcome offered to Lord Keśava?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once, attending to its opening expression of worship.

Live this todayThe Gopīs Welcome Lord KeśavaThis 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 4.196? 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