1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

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 19.39

কাহাঁ সে চূড়ার ঠাম, শিখিপিঞ্ছের উড়ান, নব-মেঘে যেন ইন্দ্রধনু ।

পীতাম্বর — তড়িদ্দ্যুতি, মুক্তামালা — বকপাঁতি, নবাম্বুদ জিনি’ শ্যামতনু ॥ ৩৯ ॥

kāhāṅ se cūḍāra ṭhāma, śikhi-piñchera uḍāna,

nava-meghe yena indra-dhanu

pītāmbara — taḍid-dyuti, muktā-mālā — baka-pāṅti,

navāmbuda jini’ śyāma-tanu

Translation

“My dear friend, where is that beautiful helmet with a peacock feather upon it like a rainbow upon a new cloud? Where are those yellow garments, shining like lightning? And where is that necklace of pearls that resemble flocks of herons flying in the sky? The blackish body of Kṛṣṇa triumphs over the new blackish rain 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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Beauty Surpasses a Rain Cloud

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful helmet bears a peacock feather like a rainbow upon a new cloud.

  2. 2

    His yellow garments shine like lightning, and His pearl necklace resembles flocks of herons flying in the sky.

  3. 3

    His blackish body triumphs over the beauty of a new blackish rain cloud. Each remembered ornament forms part of the speaker’s longing to see Him.

How it feels

Longing beyond ordinary categories. Extreme separation alternates with moments of visionary encounter.

The mood of Antya 19 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 19: The Inconceivable Behavior of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

After one such visit, Jagadānanda Paṇḍita returned to Purī with a sonnet that Advaita Ācārya had written. When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu read it, His ecstasy was so great that all the devotees feared that the Lord would very soon pass away.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 19
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kāhāṅwhere
  2. sethat
  3. cūḍāra ṭhāmabeauty of the helmet
  4. śikhi-piñchera uḍānaupon which there is a peacock feather
  5. nava-meghein a new cloud
  6. yenajust like
  7. indra-dhanuthe rainbow
  8. pīta-ambarayellow garments
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Vipralambha · Love in separation

    Separation that intensifies remembrance and longing; especially central to the confidential pastimes at Purī. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “longing”

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

Which of these images most clearly brings Kṛṣṇa’s beauty to your mind?

Practice

Recall the feather, garments, and pearls in order, using the verse’s rainbow, lightning, and heron comparisons.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Beauty Surpasses a Rain CloudThis 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 19.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.