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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

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.

Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Antya-līlā · Chapter 4: Sanātana Gosvāmī Visits the Lord at Jagannātha Purī

Antya 4.84 Antya 4.86

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 4.85

কাষ্ঠের পুতলী যেন কুহকে নাচায় ।

আপনে না জানে, পুতলী কিবা নাচে গায় ! ৮৫ ।। যারে যৈছে নাচাও, সে তৈছে করে নর্তনে ।

কৈছে নাচে, কেবা নাচায়, সেহ নাহি জানে ।।” ৮৬ ॥ ৮৫ ॥

kāṣṭhera putalī yena kuhake nācāya

āpane nā jāne, putalī kibā nāce gāya!

Translation

“A wooden doll chants and dances according to the direction of a magician but does not know how he is dancing and singing.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Doll Depends on Its Director

1
Sanātana Gosvāmī described a wooden doll that chants and dances under a magician’s direction.
2
The doll does not know how its dancing and singing take place. Its movements depend on the one directing it.
3
In context, this comparison expresses Sanātana Gosvāmī’s dependence on the Lord, whose deep plans he does not understand.

How it feels

Despair met with care. Sanātana’s wish to die is interrupted by the Lord’s protective insistence on his future service.

The mood of Antya 4 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Antya 4: Sanātana Gosvāmī Visits the Lord at Jagannātha Purī

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

After having thus spoken, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left, and Haridāsa Ṭhākura and Sanātana Gosvāmī had many talks about this subject. One day Sanātana Gosvāmī was summoned by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who wanted him to come to Yameśvara-ṭoṭā.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Antya 4

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

kāṣṭhera putalīa doll made of wood
yenaas
kuhake nācāyamagician causes to dance
āpanepersonally
nā jānedoes not know
putalīthe doll
kibāhow
nācedances
gāyasings

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

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: “chants”
Śaraṇāgati · Taking shelter
Turning toward Kṛṣṇa through shelter, surrender, dependence on guru, and unconditional devotional fidelity. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “depend”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this comparison teach me about humility in devotional service?

Practice

Before one act of service today, pause to remember your dependence on the Lord.

Live this todayThe Doll Depends on Its DirectorThis 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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