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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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Ādi-līlā · 17 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
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 4.73 Ādi 4.76

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Ādi 4.74-75

কৃষ্ণকান্তাগণ দেখি ত্রিবিধ প্রকার ।

এক লক্ষ্মীগণ, পুরে মহিষীগণ আর ॥ ৭৪ ॥

ব্রজাঙ্গনা–রূপ, আর কান্তাগণ–সার ।

শ্রীরাধিকা হৈতে কান্তাগণের বিস্তার ॥ ৭৫ ॥

kṛṣṇa-kāntā-gaṇa dekhi tri-vidha prakāra

eka lakṣmī-gaṇa, pure mahiṣī-gaṇa āra

Translation

The beloved consorts of Lord Kṛṣṇa are of three kinds: the goddesses of fortune, the queens, and the milkmaids of Vraja, who are the foremost of all. These consorts all proceed from Rādhikā.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

All Kṛṣṇa’s Consorts Proceed from Rādhikā

1
Lord Kṛṣṇa’s beloved consorts are of three kinds: the goddesses of fortune, the queens, and the milkmaids of Vraja.
2
The milkmaids of Vraja are the foremost of all His consorts.
3
All these consorts proceed from Rādhikā.

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

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

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

In this chapter of the epic Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī has stressed that Lord Caitanya appeared for three principal purposes of His own. The first purpose was to relish the position of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, who is the prime reciprocator of transcendental love of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Ādi 4

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

kṛṣṇa-kāntā-gaṇathe lovers of Lord Kṛṣṇa
dekhiI see
tri-vidhathree
prakārakinds
ekaone
lakṣmī-gaṇathe goddesses of fortune
purein the city
mahiṣī-gaṇathe queens

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

Rādhā-bhāva · The confidential inner purpose
The Lord’s desire to taste the love and perspective of Śrī Rādhā, illuminated by later ecstatic pastimes. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “rādhikā”
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”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does their shared origin tell you about Rādhikā’s relationship with Kṛṣṇa’s consorts?

Practice

List the three kinds of consorts and write beneath them: “All proceed from Rādhikā.”

Live this todayAll Kṛṣṇa’s Consorts Proceed from RādhikāThis 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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