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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
  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 ›
Madhya-līlā · Chapter 10: The Lord’s Return to Jagannātha Purī
Madhya 10.158Madhya 10.160

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 10.159

ভাল কহেন, — চর্মাম্বর দম্ভ লাগি’ পরি ।

চর্মাম্বর-পরিধানে সংসার না তরি ॥ ১৫৯ ॥

bhāla kahena, — carmāmbara dambha lāgi’ pari

carmāmbara-paridhāne saṁsāra nā tari

Translation

Thus admitting his mistake, Brahmānanda Bhāratī thought, “He spoke well. I put on this deerskin only for prestige. I cannot cross over the ocean of nescience simply by wearing a deerskin.

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.

Admitting Prestige Cannot Overcome Ignorance

  1. 1

    Brahmānanda Bhāratī admitted his mistake and thought that the Lord had spoken well.

  2. 2

    He recognized that he had put on the deerskin only for prestige.

  3. 3

    He understood that simply wearing a deerskin could not carry him across the ocean of nescience, or ignorance.

How it feels

Relief and affectionate reunion. Devotees gather as the Lord returns; separation is temporarily relieved.

The mood of Madhya 10 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 10: The Lord’s Return to Jagannātha Purī

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

Due to his relationship with Keśava Bhāratī, Brahmānanda Bhāratī was also respectfully received by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When he arrived at Jagannātha Purī, he was advised to give up the deerskin clothing he wore.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 10
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. bhālawell
  2. kahenaHe said
  3. carma-ambarathe garment of deerskin
  4. dambhaprestige
  5. lāgi’for the matter of
  6. pariI put on
  7. carma-ambara-paridhāneby putting on a garment of skin
  8. saṁsārathe material world
  9. nā tariI cannot cross
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What choice of mine may be motivated more by prestige than by genuine spiritual need?

Practice

Privately write down one prestige-seeking motive you recognize in yourself, without making excuses for it.

Live this todayAdmitting Prestige Cannot Overcome IgnoranceThis 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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