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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 19.53

এইমত গৌর-রায়, বিষাদে করে হায় হায়, ‘হা হা কৃষ্ণ, তুমি গেলা কতি ?’ গোপীভাব হৃদয়ে, তার বাক্যে বিলাপয়ে, ‘গোবিন্দ দামোদর মাধবেতি’ ॥ ৫৩ ॥

ei-mata gaura-rāya, viṣāde kare hāya hāya,

‘hā hā kṛṣṇa, tumi gelā kati?’

gopī-bhāva hṛdaye, tāra vākye vilāpaye,

‘govinda dāmodara mādhaveti’

Translation

In this way, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu lamented in the mood of separation, “Alas, alas! O Kṛṣṇa, where have You gone?” Feeling in His heart the ecstatic emotions of the gopīs, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu agonized in their words, saying, “O Govinda! O Dāmodara! O Mādhava!”

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.

Calling Kṛṣṇa’s Names in Separation

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu laments in separation, asking Kṛṣṇa where He has gone.

  2. 2

    He feels the ecstatic emotions of the gopīs within His heart.

  3. 3

    He expresses their anguish in their words, calling out, “O Govinda! O Dāmodara! O Mādhava!”

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:

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu read it, His ecstasy was so great that all the devotees feared that the Lord would very soon pass away. The Lord’s condition was so serious that at night He would bruise and bloody His face by rubbing it against the walls.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 19
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ei-matain this way
  2. gaura-rāyaLord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  3. viṣādein lamentation due to separation
  4. kare hāya hāyaalways says “alas, alas”
  5. hā hā kṛṣṇaoh, oh, Kṛṣṇa
  6. tumi gelā katiwhere have You gone
  7. gopī-bhāva hṛdayewith the ecstatic love of the gopīs in His heart
  8. tāra vākyein their words
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: “separation”, “lamented”, “laments”

  • 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

How do these calls to Kṛṣṇa express the longing described in the verse?

Practice

Quietly say, “O Govinda! O Dāmodara! O Mādhava!” while reflecting on the Lord’s longing.

Live this todayCalling Kṛṣṇa’s Names in SeparationThis 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 19.53? Get an answer from the verses themselves.