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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

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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 5: How Pradyumna Miśra Received Instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya
Antya 5.128Antya 5.130

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 5.129

শুনিয়া কবির হৈল লজ্জা, ভয়, বিস্ময় ।

হংস-মধ্যে বক যৈছে কিছু নাহি কয় ॥ ১২৯ ॥

śuniyā kavira haila lajjā, bhaya, vismaya

haṁsa-madhye baka yaiche kichu nāhi kaya

Translation

When the Bengali poet heard this chastisement from Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, he was ashamed, fearful and astonished. Indeed, being like a duck in a society of white swans, he could not say anything.

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.

Correction Can Reveal Our Limitations

  1. 1

    The Bengali poet heard the chastisement from Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī.

  2. 2

    He became ashamed, fearful and astonished. He could not say anything in reply.

  3. 3

    The translation compares him to a duck among white swans, showing how out of place he felt in the assembly.

How it feels

Humility and discernment. The Lord directs a seeker to Rāmānanda and clarifies genuine spiritual qualification.

The mood of Antya 5 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 5: How Pradyumna Miśra Received Instructions from Rāmānanda Rāya

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

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī, heard the drama, he discerned a tinge of Māyāvāda philosophy and pointed it out to the author. Although Svarūpa Dāmodara condemned the entire drama, by reference to secondary meanings of the introductory verse he nevertheless satisfied the brāhmaṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 5
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. śuniyāhearing
  2. kaviraof the poet
  3. hailathere was
  4. lajjāshame
  5. bhayafear
  6. vismayaastonishment
  7. haṁsa-madhyein a society of white swans
  8. bakaa duck
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When correction leaves me embarrassed, can I pause rather than immediately defend myself?

Practice

Recall one correction you have received and spend a quiet minute considering it without preparing a defense.

Live this todayCorrection Can Reveal Our LimitationsThis 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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