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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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 5.22

চিন্তামণিপ্রকরসদ্মসু কল্পবৃক্ষ–

লক্ষাবৃতেষু সুরভীরভিপালয়ন্তম্‌ ।

লক্ষ্মীসহস্রশতসম্ভ্রমসেব্যমানং

গোবিন্দমাদিপুরুষং তমহং ভজামি ॥ ২২ ॥

cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa-

lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam

lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

Translation

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tending cows yielding all desires in abodes built with spiritual gems and surrounded by millions of purpose trees. He is always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Govinda’s Abode Is Full of Spiritual Richness

  1. 1

    Govinda, the primeval Lord and first progenitor, tends cows yielding all desires. He is served with great reverence and affection by hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune.

  2. 2

    Life in Kṛṣṇa’s abode is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. There are ample vegetables, milk, jewels, and beautiful homes and gardens.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇaloka is the topmost planet in the spiritual sky. By Kṛṣṇa’s grace, Lord Brahmā was shown a transcendental vision of it; such vision is achieved through penance and meditation within oneself.

Key points from the purport
  • Kṛṣṇaloka is the topmost planet in the spiritual sky, and below it are innumerable spheres, a description of which can be found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
  • In the beginning of Lord Brahmā’ self-realization he was shown a transcendental vision of the Vaikuṇṭha spheres by the grace of Nārāyaṇa.
  • Later, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, he was shown a transcendental vision of Kṛṣṇaloka.

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

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

Further reading

Ādi 5: The Glories Of Lord Nityānanda Balarāma

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

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the absolute Personality of Godhead, and His first expansion in a form for pastimes is Śrī Balarāma. Beyond the limitation of this material world is the spiritual sky, paravyoma, which has many spiritual planets, the supreme of which is called Kṛṣṇaloka.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 5
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. cintāmaṇitouchstone
  2. prakaragroups made of
  3. sadmasuin abodes
  4. kalpa-vṛkṣaof desire trees
  5. lakṣaby millions
  6. āvṛteṣusurrounded
  7. surabhīḥsurabhi cows
  8. abhipālayantamtending
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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”

  • Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life

    Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “grace”

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

Which feature of Govinda’s abode helps you appreciate its spiritual richness?

Practice

Read the translation aloud once, giving attention to the reverence and affection with which Govinda is served.

Live this todayGovinda’s Abode Is Full of Spiritual RichnessThis 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 5.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.