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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
  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 ›
Antya-līlā · Chapter 20: The Śikṣāṣṭaka Prayers
Antya 20.11Antya 20.13

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 20.12

চেতোদর্পণমার্জনং ভবমহাদাবাগ্নিনির্বাপণং শ্রেয়ঃকৈরবচন্দ্রিকাবিতরণং বিদ্যাবধূজীবনম্ ।

আনন্দাম্বুধিবর্ধনং প্রতিপদং পূর্ণামৃতাস্বাদনং সর্বাত্মস্নপনং পরং বিজয়তে শ্রীকৃষ্ণসঙ্কীর্তনম্ ॥ ১২ ॥

ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ

śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam

ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ

sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam

Translation

“ ‘Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

All Victory to the Holy Name

  1. 1

    Chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy name cleanses the mirror of the heart and stops the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence.

  2. 2

    Like a waxing moon, chanting spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education.

  3. 3

    Chanting expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It cools everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.

Key points from the purport
  • This is the first verse of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Śikṣāṣṭaka.
  • The other seven verses are found in texts 16, 21, 29, 32, 36, 39 and 47.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Unconditional devotion. Eight prayers move from cleansing the heart to love that endures even without reciprocation.

The mood of Antya 20 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 20: The Śikṣāṣṭaka Prayers

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

Sometimes He recited verses from Jayadeva Gosvāmī’s Gīta-govinda, from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya’s Jagannātha-vallabha-nāṭaka or from Śrī Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura’s Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. In this way, He became absorbed in ecstatic emotions.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. cetaḥof the heart
  2. darpaṇathe mirror
  3. mārjanamcleansing
  4. bhavaof material existence
  5. mahā-dāva-agnithe blazing forest fire
  6. nirvāpaṇamextinguishing
  7. śreyaḥof good fortune
  8. kairavathe white lotus
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Why this verse matters

    The first Śikṣāṣṭaka prayer: glory of nāma-saṅkīrtana and purification of the heart.

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chanting”, “holy name”

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “cleanse”, “cleanses”

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 image in this verse helps me appreciate the gift of chanting?

Practice

Read this verse aloud, then spend a minute chanting Kṛṣṇa’s holy name.

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Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

Quoted in 225 lectures. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 225 lectures

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayAll Victory to the Holy NameThis 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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