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Study a Verse

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

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.

Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Madhya-līlā · Chapter 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana

Madhya 16.290 Madhya 17.2

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 17.1

গচ্ছন্ বৃন্দাবনং গৌরো ব্যাঘ্রেভৈণখগান্ বনে ।

প্রেমোন্মত্তান্ সহোন্নৃত্যান্ বিদধে কৃষ্ণজল্পিনঃ ॥ ১ ॥

gacchan vṛndāvanaṁ gauro

vyāghrebhaiṇa-khagān vane

premonmattān sahonnṛtyān

vidadhe kṛṣṇa-jalpinaḥ

Translation

On His way to Vṛndāvana, Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through the forest of Jhārikhaṇḍa and made all the tigers, elephants, deer and birds chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and dance. Thus all these animals were overwhelmed by ecstatic love.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Animals Chant and Dance in Ecstatic Love

1
On His way to Vṛndāvana, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through the forest of Jhārikhaṇḍa.
2
He made all the tigers, elephants, deer and birds chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and dance.
3
All these animals were overwhelmed by ecstatic love.

How it feels

Wonder and contagious joy. Even forest animals chant; nature seems drawn into the saṅkīrtana movement.

The mood of Madhya 17 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Madhya 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana

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

North of Kaṭaka, He penetrated a dense forest and came upon many tigers and elephants, whom He engaged in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Whenever the Lord had a chance to visit a village, Balabhadra Bhaṭṭācārya would beg alms and acquire some rice and vegetables.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Madhya 17

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

gacchangoing
vṛndāvanamto Vṛndāvana-dhāma
gauraḥŚrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
vyāghratigers
ibhaelephants
eṇadeer
khagānand birds
vanein the forest

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”
Prema · Love of Godhead
The culminating devotional purpose that unites the narration: bestowed, cultivated, taught, celebrated, and tasted. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “ecstatic love”
Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together
Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “chant”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What touches you about the animals chanting and dancing through the Lord’s influence?

Practice

Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra today while remembering the animals chanting with the Lord.

Live this todayAnimals Chant and Dance in Ecstatic LoveThis 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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