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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 18.94

যত হেমাব্জ জলে ভাসে, তত নীলাব্জ তার পাশে, আসি’ আসি’ করয়ে মিলন ।

নীলাব্জে হেমাব্জে ঠেকে, যুদ্ধ হয় প্রত্যেকে, কৌতুকে দেখে তীরে সখীগণ ॥ ৯৪ ॥

yata hemābja jale bhāse, tata nīlābja tāra pāśe,

āsi’ āsi’ karaye milana

nīlābje hemābje ṭheke, yuddha haya pratyeke,

kautuke dekhe tīre sakhī-gaṇa

Translation

“Many white lotus flowers were floating in the water, and as many bluish lotus flowers came nearby. As they came close together, the white and blue lotuses collided and began fighting with one another. The gopīs on the bank of the Yamunā watched with great amusement.

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.

Lotus Play Amuses the Watching Gopīs

  1. 1

    Many white lotus flowers floated in the water, and an equal number of bluish lotuses came nearby.

  2. 2

    As the white and blue lotuses came together, they collided and began fighting.

  3. 3

    The gopīs on the Yamunā’s bank watched this play with great amusement.

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. yataas many as there were
  2. hema-abjawhite lotus flowers
  3. jaleon the water
  4. bhāsefloat
  5. tatathat many
  6. nīla-abjabluish lotus flowers
  7. tāra pāśeby their side
  8. āsi’ āsi’coming closer
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”, “yamunā”, “yamunā’s”

  • 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: “together”

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 the watching gopīs’ amusement help you understand the mood of this scene?

Practice

Read the verse once with special attention to the observers’ response.

Live this todayLotus Play Amuses the Watching 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Antya 18.94? Get an answer from the verses themselves.