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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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Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 1.79

রাজবেশ, হাতী, ঘোড়া, মনুষ্য গহন ।

কাহাঁ গোপ-বেশ, কাহাঁ নির্জন বৃন্দাবন ॥ ৭৯ ॥

rāja-veśa, hātī, ghoḍā, manuṣya gahana

kāhāṅ gopa-veśa, kāhāṅ nirjana vṛndāvana

Translation

She thought of Him in the calm and quiet atmosphere of Vṛndāvana, dressed as a cowherd boy. But at Kurukṣetra He was in a royal dress and was accompanied by elephants, horses and crowds of men. Thus the atmosphere was not congenial for Their meeting.

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.

Royal Splendor Does Not Suit Their Meeting

  1. 1

    She thought of Kṛṣṇa dressed as a cowherd boy in the calm and quiet atmosphere of Vṛndāvana.

  2. 2

    At Kurukṣetra, He wore royal dress and was accompanied by elephants, horses and crowds of men.

  3. 3

    That atmosphere was not congenial for Their meeting.

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

Further reading

Madhya 1: The Later Pastimes of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

All of these are described in brief. There is also a description of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s ecstasy that occurred when He recited the verse beginning yaḥ kaumāra-haraḥ, as well as a description of how that ecstasy was explained in the verse beginning priyaḥ so ’yaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ, by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 1
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. rāja-veśaroyal dress
  2. hātīelephants
  3. ghoḍāhorses
  4. manuṣyamen
  5. gahanacrowds
  6. kāhāṅwhere
  7. gopa-veśathe dress of a cowherd boy
  8. kāhāṅwhere
  9. nirjanasolitary
  10. vṛndāvanaVṛndāvana
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: “vṛndāvana”, “cowherd”

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

Why does the contrast between Vṛndāvana and Kurukṣetra matter for Their meeting?

Practice

Write down the two contrasting descriptions of Kṛṣṇa and His surroundings given in this verse.

Live this todayRoyal Splendor Does Not Suit Their MeetingThis 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 Madhya 1.79? Get an answer from the verses themselves.