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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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Madhya-līlā · 25 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 ›

Madhya-līlā · Chapter 1: The Later Pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

Madhya 1.4 Madhya 1.6

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 1.5

শ্রীমান্‌রাসরসারম্ভী বংশীবটতটস্থিতঃ ।

কর্ষন্ বেণুস্বনৈর্গোপীর্গোপীনাথঃ শ্রিয়েঽস্তু নঃ ॥ ৫ ॥

śrīmān rāsa-rasārambhī

vaṁśī-vaṭa-taṭa-sthitaḥ

karṣan veṇu-svanair gopīr

gopīnāthaḥ śriye ’stu naḥ

Translation

May Gopīnāthajī, who attracts all the gopīs with the song of His flute and who has begun the most melodious rāsa dance on the bank of the Yamunā in Vaṁśīvaṭa, be merciful upon us.

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.

Praying for Gopīnāthajī’s Mercy

1
Gopīnāthajī attracts all the gopīs with the song of His flute.
2
He has begun the most melodious rāsa dance on the bank of the Yamunā in Vaṁśīvaṭa.
3
The author prays that Gopīnāthajī may be merciful upon us.

How it feels

Anticipation and hidden longing. The author previews later pastimes, including the inner Vraja mood expressed at Ratha-yātrā.

The mood of Madhya 1 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Madhya 1: The Later Pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

In this chapter there is a summary description of all the pastimes performed by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu during the middle period of His activities as well as the six years at the end of His activities. All of these are described in brief.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Madhya 1

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

śrīmānthe most beautiful form
rāsaof the rāsa dance
rasa-ārambhīthe initiator of the mellow
vaṁśī-vaṭathe celebrated place named Vaṁśīvaṭa
taṭaon the bank of Yamunā
sthitaḥbeing situated
karṣanattracting
veṇu-svanaiḥby the sounds of the flute

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: “gopīnāthajī”, “yamunā”
Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life
Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “merciful”
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: “rāsa”

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 the prayer for mercy “upon us” invite you to ask for?

Practice

Offer the verse’s prayer today: “May Gopīnāthajī be merciful upon us.”

Live this todayPraying for Gopīnāthajī’s MercyThis 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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