1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 17.194

পথে গাভীঘটা চরে প্রভুরে দেখিয়া ।

প্রভুকে বেড়য় আসি’ হুঙ্কার করিয়া ॥ ১৯৪ ॥

pathe gābhī-ghaṭā care prabhure dekhiyā

prabhuke beḍaya āsi’ huṅkāra kariyā

Translation

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through Vṛndāvana, herds of grazing cows saw Him pass and, immediately surrounding Him, began to moo very loudly.

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 Cows Gather Around the Lord

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through Vṛndāvana.

  2. 2

    Herds of grazing cows saw Him and immediately surrounded Him.

  3. 3

    As they gathered around Him, the cows began to moo very loudly.

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

Further reading

Madhya 17: The Lord Travels to Vṛndāvana

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

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu next passed through Prayāga and Mathurā and then took His lunch at the home of a Sānoḍiyā brāhmaṇa, a disciple of Mādhavendra Purī. He bestowed His blessings upon the brāhmaṇa by accepting lunch at his place.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. patheon the road
  2. gābhī-ghaṭāgroups of cows
  3. caregraze
  4. prabhure dekhiyāafter seeing Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  5. prabhuke beḍayathey surrounded the Lord
  6. āsi’coming
  7. huṅ-kāra kariyāmaking a loud vibration
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”

  • 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: “gathered”

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 strikes you about the cows’ immediate response to seeing the Lord?

Practice

Pause for a minute to recall this scene: the grazing cows seeing the Lord, surrounding Him and mooing loudly.

Live this todayThe Cows Gather Around the LordThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 17.194? Get an answer from the verses themselves.