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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 13.27Madhya 13.29

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 13.28

ক্ষণে স্থির হঞা রহে, টানিলেহ না চলে ।

ঈশ্বর-ইচ্ছায় চলে, না চলে কারো বলে ॥ ২৮ ॥

kṣaṇe sthira hañā rahe, ṭānileha nā cale

īśvara-icchāya cale, nā cale kāro bale

Translation

Sometimes the car would stand still and not move, even though it was pulled very vigorously. The chariot therefore moved by the will of the Lord, not by the strength of any ordinary person.

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.

The Chariot Moved by the Lord’s Will

  1. 1

    Sometimes the car stood still and would not move.

  2. 2

    Even vigorous pulling could not make it move at those times.

  3. 3

    The chariot moved by the Lord’s will, not by the strength of any ordinary person.

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:

Lord Jagannātha took permission from the goddess of fortune and then started in the car for the Guṇḍicā temple. The road to the temple led along a broad, sandy beach, and on both sides of the road were residential quarters, houses and gardens.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 13
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kṣaṇesometimes
  2. sthirastill
  3. hañābecoming
  4. rahestays
  5. ṭānilehain spite of being pulled
  6. nā caledoes not go
  7. īśvara-icchāyaby the will of the Lord
  8. calegoes
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the unmoving chariot teach you about the limits of ordinary strength?

Practice

Pause today to reflect on the verse’s distinction between vigorous effort and the Lord’s will.

Live this todayThe Chariot Moved by the Lord’s WillThis 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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