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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 17.188 Madhya 17.190

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 17.189

বাহু তুলি’ বলে প্রভু ‘হরিবোল’-ধ্বনি ।

প্রেমে মত্ত নাচে লোক করি’ হরিধ্বনি ॥ ১৮৯ ॥

bāhu tuli’ bale prabhu ‘hari-bola’-dhvani

preme matta nāce loka kari’ hari-dhvani

Translation

When the people assembled, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu raised His arms and said very loudly, “Haribol!” The people responded to the Lord and became ecstatic. As if mad, they began to dance and to vibrate the transcendental sound “Hari!”

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.

Responding to the Lord with Hari’s Name

1
When the people assembled, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu raised His arms and loudly called, “Haribol!”
2
The people responded to the Lord and became ecstatic.
3
As if mad, they began dancing and vibrating the transcendental sound “Hari!”

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:

Thereafter the Lord visited the twelve forests of Vṛndāvana and was filled with great ecstatic love. As He toured the Vṛndāvana forests, He heard the chirping of parrots and other birds.

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

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

bāhu tuli’raising the arms
balesays
prabhuŚrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
hari-bola-dhvanithe transcendental sound vibration “Haribol”
premein ecstasy
mattamaddened
nācedance
lokathe people
kari’ hari-dhvanimaking the transcendental vibration Hari

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

Kīrtana community · A movement of shared hearts
Devotional community as a living network of branches, service, festivals, care, and collective chanting. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “assembled”
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: “haribol”

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

How can you give your attention to the sound “Hari!” when you chant?

Practice

Spend one minute aloud chanting “Hari!” with attention.

Live this todayResponding to the Lord with Hari’s NameThis 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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