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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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Antya-līlā · 20 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 Antya 18.81

রাধিকাদি গোপীগণ-সঙ্গে একত্র মেলি’ ।

যমুনার জলে মহারঙ্গে করেন কেলি ॥ ৮১ ॥

rādhikādi gopī-gaṇa-saṅge ekatra meli’

yamunāra jale mahā-raṅge karena keli

Translation

“Lord Kṛṣṇa was in the water of the Yamunā in the company of the gopīs, headed by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. They were performing pastimes in a great sporting manner.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Water Pastimes with the Gopīs

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa was in the water of the Yamunā.

  2. 2

    He was in the company of the gopīs, headed by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī.

  3. 3

    Together they were performing pastimes in a great sporting manner.

How it feels

Desperate longing and relief. Mistaking the sea for Yamunā, the Lord enters it; devotees find and revive Him.

The mood of Antya 18 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 18: Rescuing the Lord from the Sea

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

Mistaking the sea for the Yamunā River, He jumped into it, hoping to see the water pastimes Kṛṣṇa enjoyed with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the other gopīs. As He floated in the sea, however, He was washed away to the Koṇārka temple, where a fisherman, thinking that the Lord’s body was a big fish, caught Him in his net and brought Him ashore.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 18
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. rādhikā-ādiheaded by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī
  2. gopī-gaṇa-saṅgewith the gopīs
  3. ekatra meli’meeting together
  4. yamunāraof the river Yamunā
  5. jalein the water
  6. mahā-raṅgein a great sporting attitude
  7. karena keliperforms pastimes
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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: “gopīs”, “yamunā”

  • 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: “rādhārāṇī”

  • 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: “company of”

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 can I read this account with greater care for the details the Lord gives?

Practice

Spend one minute rereading this description of Kṛṣṇa with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī and the gopīs.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Water Pastimes with the GopīsThis 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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