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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 16: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana
Madhya 16.269Madhya 16.271

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 16.270

‘দুর্লভ’ ‘দুর্গম’ সেই ‘নির্জন’ বৃন্দাবন ।

একাকী যাইব, কিবা সঙ্গে একজন ॥ ২৭০ ॥

‘durlabha’ ‘durgama’ sei ‘nirjana’ vṛndāvana

ekākī yāiba, kibā saṅge eka-jana

Translation

“I then began to consider that Vṛndāvana is a very solitary place. It is invincible and very difficult to attain. I therefore decided to go there alone or, at the utmost, with only one 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.

Approaching Vṛndāvana Without a Crowd

  1. 1

    Vṛndāvana is described as a very solitary place.

  2. 2

    It is invincible and very difficult to attain.

  3. 3

    The speaker therefore decided to go alone or, at most, with one person.

How it feels

Yearning and deferral. Attempts, delays, meetings, and farewells heighten the desire to reach Vraja.

The mood of Madhya 16 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 16: The Lord’s Attempt to Go to Vṛndāvana

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

Returning from Rāmakeli, He met Raghunātha dāsa and after giving him instructions sent him back home. Thereafter the Lord returned to Nīlācala and began to make plans to go to Vṛndāvana without a companion.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 16
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. durlabhavery rare
  2. durgamainvincible
  3. seithat
  4. nirjanasolitary
  5. vṛndāvanathe land of Vṛndāvana
  6. ekākīalone
  7. yāibaI shall go
  8. kibāor
  9. saṅgewith Me
  10. eka-janaonly one person
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”

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 does this description of Vṛndāvana shape my understanding of approaching it?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute reflecting on Vṛndāvana as solitary and very difficult to attain.

Live this todayApproaching Vṛndāvana Without a CrowdThis 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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