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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 8.73

বৈষ্ণবের আজ্ঞা পাঞা চিন্তিত–অন্তরে ।

মদনগোপালে গেলাঙ আজ্ঞা মাগিবারে ॥ ৭৩ ॥

vaiṣṇavera ājñā pāñā cintita-antare

madana-gopāle gelāṅ ājñā māgibāre

Translation

Having received the order of the Vaiṣṇavas but being anxious within my heart, I went to the temple of Madana-mohana in Vṛndāvana to ask His permission also.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seek the permission of guru and Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    After receiving the Vaiṣṇavas’ order, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī went to Madana-mohana’s temple to seek His permission. He regarded the devotees as his spiritual masters, and Madana-mohana is Kṛṣṇa Himself.

  2. 2

    A Vaiṣṇava follows the order of guru and Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is within everyone’s heart, and the spiritual master is His direct external representative.

  3. 3

    Before writing about Kṛṣṇa, one must become a pure devotee by following the strict regulative principles and chanting sixteen rounds daily. One must then receive the spiritual master’s permission, confirmed by Kṛṣṇa within the heart.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus he took permission from both of them, and when he received the mercy of both guru and Kṛṣṇa, he was able to write this great literature, Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
  • Thus Kṛṣṇa is situated antar-bahiḥ, within and without.
  • One must first become a pure devotee by following the strict regulative principles and chanting sixteen rounds daily, and when one thinks that he is actually on the Vaiṣṇava platform, he must then take permission from the spiritual master, and that permission must also be confirmed by Kṛṣṇa from within his heart.

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

Vulnerability and obedience. Kavirāja writes by mercy and command rather than personal self-assertion.

The mood of Ādi 8 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 8: The Author Receives the Orders of Kṛṣṇa and Guru

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

In his very old age, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī went to Vṛndāvana, and by the order of Śrī Madana-mohanajī he wrote Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Thus we are now able to relish its transcendental bliss.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 8
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. vaiṣṇaveraof all the Vaiṣṇava devotees
  2. ājñāorder
  3. pāñāreceiving
  4. cintita-antareanxiety within myself
  5. madana-gopāleto the temple of Śrī Madana-mohana
  6. gelāṅI went
  7. ājñāorder
  8. māgibāreto receive
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: “vṛndāvana”

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “pure devotee”

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chanting”

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

How does seeking the permission of guru and Kṛṣṇa differ from relying only on your own confidence?

Practice

Before your devotional study today, offer a brief prayer for the mercy and guidance of guru and Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todaySeek the permission of guru and KṛṣṇaThis 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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