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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 11: The Beḍā-kīrtana Pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
Madhya 11.78Madhya 11.80

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 11.79

তবে গোবিন্দ দণ্ডবৎ কৈল আচার্যেরে ।

তাঁরে নাহি চিনে আচার্য, পুছিল দামোদরে ॥ ৭৯ ॥

tabe govinda daṇḍavat kaila ācāryere

tāṅre nāhi cine ācārya, puchila dāmodare

Translation

When Govinda offered his obeisances by falling down flat before Advaita Ācārya, Advaita Ācārya asked Svarūpa Dāmodara about his identity, for He did not know Govinda at that time.

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.

Offering Respect and Learning Someone’s Identity

  1. 1

    Govinda offered obeisances by falling down flat before Advaita Ācārya.

  2. 2

    Advaita Ācārya did not know Govinda at that time.

  3. 3

    Advaita Ācārya asked Svarūpa Dāmodara about Govinda’s identity.

How it feels

Communal anticipation. Arriving devotees, kīrtana, and longing to meet the Lord converge.

The mood of Madhya 11 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 11: The Beḍā-kīrtana Pastimes of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu

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

While Advaita Ācārya and the other devotees were coming to Jagannātha Purī, Svarūpa Dāmodara and Govinda, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s two personal assistants, went to receive all the devotees with garlands. From the roof of his palace, King Pratāparudra could see all the devotees arriving.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 11
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. tabeat that time
  2. govindaGovinda
  3. daṇḍavatfalling flat to offer obeisances
  4. kailadid
  5. ācāryereunto Advaita Ācārya
  6. tāṅrehim
  7. nāhinot
  8. cinerecognized
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “offered”

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

Do I take time to learn about devotees I do not yet know?

Practice

Ask a devotee to help you learn the name of someone unfamiliar to you.

Live this todayOffering Respect and Learning Someone’s IdentityThis 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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