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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

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 18.86

বর্ষে স্থির তড়িদ্গণ, সিঞ্চে শ্যাম নবঘন, ঘন বর্ষে তড়িৎ-উপরে ।

সখীগণের নয়ন, তৃষিত চাতকগণ, সেই অমৃত সুখে পান করে ॥ ৮৬ ॥

varṣe sthira taḍid-gaṇa, siñce śyāma nava-ghana,

ghana varṣe taḍit-upare

sakhī-gaṇera nayana, tṛṣita cātaka-gaṇa,

sei amṛta sukhe pāna kare

Translation

“The gopīs were like steady streaks of lightning, and Kṛṣṇa resembled a blackish cloud. The lightning began sprinkling water upon the cloud, and the cloud upon the lightning. Like thirsty cātaka birds, the eyes of the gopīs joyously drank the nectarean water from the cloud.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Gopīs Joyously Behold Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The gopīs are compared to steady streaks of lightning, while Kṛṣṇa resembles a blackish cloud.

  2. 2

    The lightning sprinkles water upon the cloud, and the cloud upon the lightning, describing their mutual splashing.

  3. 3

    The gopīs’ eyes are like thirsty cātaka birds, joyously drinking the nectarean water from the cloud.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. varṣein that shower
  2. sthirafixed
  3. taḍit-gaṇastreaks of lightning
  4. siñcesprinkle
  5. śyāmablackish
  6. nava-ghananew cloud
  7. ghanathe cloud
  8. varṣerains
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: “gopīs”

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

What does the image of thirsty cātaka birds convey about the gopīs’ joy in seeing Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Write down the three images—lightning, cloud, and cātaka birds—and identify what each represents.

Live this todayThe Gopīs Joyously Behold 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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