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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

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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 ›

Antya-līlā · Chapter 18: Rescuing the Lord from the Sea

Antya 18.84 Antya 18.86

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 18.85

আরম্ভিলা জলকেলি, অন্যোঽন্যে জল ফেলাফেলি, হুড়াহুড়ি, বর্ষে জলধার ।

সবে জয়-পরাজয়, নাহি কিছু নিশ্চয়, জলযুদ্ধ বাড়িল অপার ॥ ৮৫ ॥

ārambhilā jala-keli, anyo’nye jala phelāpheli,

huḍāhuḍi, varṣe jala-dhāra

sabe jaya-parājaya, nāhi kichu niścaya,

jala-yuddha bāḍila apāra

Translation

“The sporting pastimes in the water began, and everyone started splashing water back and forth. In the tumultuous showers of water, no one could be certain which party was winning and which was losing. This sporting water fight increased unlimitedly.

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.

Water Play Beyond Winning and Losing

1
The water pastimes began with everyone splashing water back and forth.
2
The showers of water were so tumultuous that no one could tell which party was winning or losing.
3
The sporting water fight increased unlimitedly.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in Antya 18

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

ārambhilābegan
jala-kelipastimes in the water
anyo’nyeat one another
jalawater
phelāphelithrowing back and forth
huḍāhuḍitumultuous activities
varṣein rains
jala-dhārashowers of water

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

Kīrtana community · A movement of shared hearts
Devotional community as a living network of branches, service, festivals, care, and collective chanting. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “party”

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 stands out when the description emphasizes abundant play rather than a clear winner?

Practice

Read the verse once today, paying attention to how the splashing grows throughout the description.

Live this todayWater Play Beyond Winning and LosingThis 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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