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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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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 5: The Glories Of Lord Nityānanda Balarāma

Ādi 5.138 Ādi 5.140

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 5.139

ক্কচিৎ ক্রীড়া–পরিশ্রান্তং গোপোৎসঙ্গোপবর্হণম্‌ ।

স্বয়ং বিশ্রাময়ত্যার্যং পাদসম্বাহনাদিভিঃ ॥ ১৩৯ ॥

kvacit krīḍā-pariśrāntaṁ

gopotsaṅgopabarhaṇam

svayaṁ viśrāmayaty āryaṁ

pāda-saṁvāhanādibhiḥ

Translation

“Sometimes when Lord Kṛṣṇa’s elder brother, Lord Balarāma, felt tired after playing and lay His head on the lap of a cowherd boy, Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself served Him by massaging His feet.”

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.

Lord Kṛṣṇa Serves His Elder Brother

1
Lord Balarāma, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s elder brother, sometimes felt tired after playing.
2
He rested His head on the lap of a cowherd boy.
3
Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself served Lord Balarāma by massaging His feet.

How it feels

Shelter and wonder. The glory of Nityānanda reveals the intimate support behind the descent.

The mood of Ādi 5 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Ādi 5: The Glories Of Lord Nityānanda Balarāma

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

Mahā-Viṣṇu again enters every universe as the reservoir of all living entities, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. From Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu expands Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the Supersoul of every living entity.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Ādi 5

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

kvacitsometimes
krīḍāplaying
pariśrāntamvery much fatigued
gopa-utsaṅgathe lap of a cowherd boy
upabarhaṇamwhose pillow
svayampersonally Lord Kṛṣṇa
viśrāmayaticausing to rest
āryamHis elder brother
pāda-saṁvāhana-ādibhiḥby massaging His feet, etc

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

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: “served”
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: “cowherd”

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 touches you about Lord Kṛṣṇa personally serving His elder brother?

Practice

Offer one small act of care to someone who is tired today.

Live this todayLord Kṛṣṇa Serves His Elder BrotherThis 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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