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

1234567891011121314151617181920
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 7: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Vallabha Bhaṭṭa
Antya 7.33Antya 7.35

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 7.34

নন্দঃ কিমকরোদ্ব্রহ্মন্ শ্রেয় এবং মহোদয়ম্ ।

যশোদা বা মহাভাগা পপৌ যস্যাঃ স্তনং হরিঃ ॥ ৩৪ ॥

nandaḥ kim akarod brahman

śreya evaṁ mahodayam

yaśodā vā mahā-bhāgā

papau yasyāḥ stanaṁ hariḥ

Translation

“ ‘O brāhmaṇa, what pious activities did Nanda Mahārāja perform to receive the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa as his son? And what pious activities did mother Yaśodā perform that made the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa call her “Mother” and suck her breasts?’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Wonder of Kṛṣṇa’s Parental Affection

  1. 1

    The verse asks what pious activities Nanda Mahārāja performed to receive Kṛṣṇa as his son.

  2. 2

    It also asks what pious activities mother Yaśodā performed that Kṛṣṇa called her “Mother” and sucked her breasts.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, yet He accepts this intimate relationship with His parents.

How it feels

Pride softened by grace. Humor and correction lead toward humility and a relationship of devotion.

The mood of Antya 7 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Antya 7: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Vallabha Bhaṭṭa

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

In this chapter, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s meeting with Vallabha Bhaṭṭa is described. There was some joking behavior between these two personalities, and finally Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu corrected Vallabha Bhaṭṭa and sympathetically accepted an invitation from him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Antya 7
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. nandaḥNanda Mahārāja
  2. kimwhat
  3. akarothas performed
  4. brahmanO brāhmaṇa
  5. śreyaḥauspicious activities
  6. evamthus
  7. mahā-udayamrising to such an exalted position as the father of Kṛṣṇa
  8. yaśodāmother Yaśodā
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “nanda”, “yaśodā”

  • Bhāva & rasa · The language of sacred feeling

    Transcendental devotional moods and relationships, discussed explicitly in Rāmānanda’s dialogue and the teachings on prema. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “relationship”

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

What wonder do you feel in the Supreme Personality of Godhead calling Yaśodā “Mother”?

Practice

Write one sentence about what makes Kṛṣṇa’s relationship with His parents remarkable.

Live this todayThe Wonder of Kṛṣṇa’s Parental AffectionThis 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 7.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters