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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 12: The Cleansing of the Guṇḍicā Temple
Madhya 11.243Madhya 12.2

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 12.1

শ্রীগুণ্ডিচা-মন্দিরমাত্মবৃন্দৈঃ

সংমার্জয়ন্ ক্ষালনতঃ স গৌরঃ ।

স্বচিত্তবচ্ছীতলমুজ্জ্বলঞ্চ

কৃষ্ণোপবেশৌপয়িকং চকার ॥ ১ ॥

śrī-guṇḍicā-mandiram ātma-vṛndaiḥ

sammārjayan kṣālanataḥ sa gauraḥ

sva-citta-vac chītalam ujjvalaṁ ca

kṛṣṇopaveśaupayikaṁ cakāra

Translation

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed and cleansed the Guṇḍicā temple with His devotees and associates. In this way He made it as cool and bright as His own heart, and thus He made the temple a befitting place for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to sit.

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.

Preparing a Place for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed and cleansed the Guṇḍicā temple with His devotees and associates.

  2. 2

    He made the temple as cool and bright as His own heart.

  3. 3

    Through this cleansing, He made the temple a fitting place for Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa to sit.

How it feels

Purification through joyful service. Collective cleansing becomes a visible devotional act before Ratha-yātrā.

The mood of Madhya 12 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 12: The Cleansing of the Guṇḍicā Temple

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

After this, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu washed the Guṇḍicā temple before the Ratha-yātrā took place. He then took His bath at Indradyumna Lake and partook of prasādam in the garden nearby.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 12
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. śrī-guṇḍicāknown as Guṇḍicā
  2. mandiramthe temple
  3. ātma-vṛndaiḥwith His associates
  4. sammārjayanwashing
  5. kṣālanataḥby cleansing
  6. saḥthat
  7. gauraḥŚrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  8. sva-citta-vatlike His own heart
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: “cleansed”, “washed”

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “associates”

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

How can you give careful attention to preparing a place for the Lord?

Practice

Clean one small area used for worship, remembering how Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu prepared the temple.

Live this todayPreparing a Place for Lord Śrī KṛṣṇaThis 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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