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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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Antya-līlā · 20 chapters

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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 ›
Antya-līlā · Chapter 17: The Bodily Transformations of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Antya 17.53Antya 17.55

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 17.54

ক্ষণে মন স্থির হয়, তবে মনে বিচারয়, বলিতে হইল ভাবোদ্গম ।

পিঙ্গলার বচন-স্মৃতি, করাইল ভাব-মতি, তাতে করে অর্থ-নির্ধারণ ॥ ৫৪ ॥

kṣaṇe mana sthira haya, tabe mane vicāraya,

balite ha-ila bhāvodgama

piṅgalāra vacana-smṛti, karāila bhāva-mati,

tāte kare artha-nirdhāraṇa

Translation

Suddenly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became calm and considered His state of mind. He remembered the words of Piṅgalā, and this aroused an ecstasy that moved Him to speak. Thus He explained the meaning of the verse.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remembered Words Bring a Sudden Change

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu suddenly became calm and considered His state of mind.

  2. 2

    He remembered Piṅgalā’s words: “To hope against hope produces only misery. Utter hopelessness is the greatest happiness.”

  3. 3

    Remembering this statement aroused ecstasy in Him and moved Him to speak, explaining the meaning of the verse.

Key points from the purport
  • Piṅgalā was a prostitute who said, “To hope against hope produces only misery.
  • Remembering this statement, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became ecstatic.
  • The story of Piṅgalā is found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Canto, eighth chapter, verses 22-44, as well as in the Mahābhārata, Śānti-parva, chapter 174.

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

Inconceivable ecstatic absorption. The Lord’s overwhelming love manifests extraordinary bodily changes.

The mood of Antya 17 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 17: The Bodily Transformations of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Śrīla Prabhupāda's summary of this chapter:

Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura gives the following summary of the seventeenth chapter in his Amṛta-pravāha-bhāṣya. Absorbed in transcendental ecstasy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu went out one night without opening the doors to His room. After crossing over three walls, He fell down among some cows belonging to the district of Tailaṅga. There He remained unconscious, assuming the aspect of a tortoise.
Back to this verse in Antya 17
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kṣaṇein a moment
  2. manathe mind
  3. sthira hayabecomes patient
  4. tabeat that time
  5. manewithin the mind
  6. vicārayaHe considers
  7. baliteto speak
  8. ha-ilathere was
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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What change in His state of mind accompanies the remembrance of Piṅgalā’s words?

Practice

Write down the sequence described here: becoming calm, considering His state, remembering and speaking.

Live this todayRemembered Words Bring a Sudden ChangeThis 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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