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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 13: The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yātrā
Madhya 13.128Madhya 13.130

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 13.129

ইহাঁ রাজ-বেশ, সঙ্গে সব ক্ষত্রিয়গণ ।

তাহাঁ গোপবেশ, সঙ্গে মুরলী-বাদন ॥ ১২৯ ॥

ihāṅ rāja-veśa, saṅge saba kṣatriya-gaṇa

tāhāṅ gopa-veśa, saṅge muralī-vādana

Translation

“Here at Kurukṣetra You are dressed like a royal prince, accompanied by great warriors, but in Vṛndāvana You appeared just like an ordinary cowherd boy, accompanied only by Your beautiful flute.

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 and the Cowherd Boy

  1. 1

    At Kurukṣetra, the Lord is dressed like a royal prince.

  2. 2

    He is accompanied there by great warriors.

  3. 3

    In Vṛndāvana, He appeared like an ordinary cowherd boy, accompanied only by His beautiful flute.

How it feels

Public ecstasy with inward longing. The festival’s collective joy carries the profound Vraja mood of meeting and separation.

The mood of Madhya 13 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 13: The Ecstatic Dancing of the Lord at Ratha-yātrā

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

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu divided His saṅkīrtana party into seven divisions. With two mṛdaṅgas in each division, there were altogether fourteen mṛdaṅgas.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 13
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ihāṅhere, at Kurukṣetra
  2. rāja-veśadressed like a royal prince
  3. saṅgewith You
  4. sabaall
  5. kṣatriya-gaṇagreat warriors
  6. tāhāṅthere, in Vṛndāvana
  7. gopa-veśadressed like a cowherd boy
  8. saṅgewith You
  9. muralī-vādanathe blowing of Your transcendental flute
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

What stands out to you in the contrast between these two appearances?

Practice

Spend a minute reflecting on the image of the ordinary cowherd boy with His beautiful flute.

Live this todayRoyal Splendor and the Cowherd BoyThis 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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