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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

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 7: The Meeting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Vallabha Bhaṭṭa

Antya 7.84 Antya 7.86

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Antya 7.85

প্রভু কহে, — “কৃষ্ণনামের বহু অর্থ না মানি ।

‘শ্যামসুন্দর’ ‘যশোদানন্দন’, — এইমাত্র জানি ॥ ৮৫ ॥

prabhu kahe, — “kṛṣṇa-nāmera bahu artha nā māni

‘śyāma-sundara’ ‘yaśodā-nandana,’ — ei-mātra jāni

Translation

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied, “I do not accept many different meanings for the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. I know only that Lord Kṛṣṇa is Śyāmasundara and Yaśodānandana. That’s all I know.

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.

Know Kṛṣṇa as Śyāmasundara and Yaśodānandana

1
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not accept many different meanings for Kṛṣṇa’s holy name.
2
He says He knows Lord Kṛṣṇa only as Śyāmasundara and Yaśodānandana.
3
The following explanation identifies Kṛṣṇa as dark blue like a tamāla tree and as the son of mother Yaśodā.

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

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

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

Before this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu saw that Vallabha Bhaṭṭa was greatly attached to Gadādhara Paṇḍita. Therefore He acted as if displeased with Gadādhara Paṇḍita.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Antya 7

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

prabhu kaheLord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu replied
kṛṣṇa-nāmeraof the holy name of Kṛṣṇa
bahu arthamany meanings
nā māniI do not accept
śyāma-sundaraŚyāmasundara
yaśodā-nandanaYaśodānandana
ei-mātraonly this
jāniI know

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: “holy name”
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: “yaśodānandana”

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

How do these two names help me give personal attention to Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Say the names Śyāmasundara and Yaśodānandana slowly, remembering the meanings given here.

Live this todayKnow Kṛṣṇa as Śyāmasundara and YaśodānandanaThis 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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