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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

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 17.55

বন দেখি’ ভ্রম হয় — এই ‘বৃন্দাবন’ ।

শৈল দেখি’ মনে হয় — এই ‘গোবর্ধন’ ॥ ৫৫ ॥

vana dekhi’ bhrama haya — ei ‘vṛndāvana’

śaila dekhi’ mane haya — ei ‘govardhana’

Translation

When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through the Jhārikhaṇḍa forest, He took it for granted that it was Vṛndāvana. When He passed over the hills, He took it for granted that they were Govardhana.

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.

Seeing Vṛndāvana in the Forest

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed through the Jhārikhaṇḍa forest.

  2. 2

    He took the forest to be Vṛndāvana.

  3. 3

    When He passed over the hills, He took them to be Govardhana.

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:

In this way the Lord passed through the jungle of Jhārikhaṇḍa (Jharkhand) and finally reached Vārāṇasī. After taking His bath at the Maṇikarṇikā-ghāṭa at Vārāṇasī, He met Tapana Miśra, who took the Lord to his place and respectfully gave Him a comfortable residence.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 17
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. vana dekhi’seeing the forest
  2. bhrama hayathere is illusion
  3. eithis
  4. vṛndāvanaVṛndāvana forest
  5. śaila dekhi’seeing a hill
  6. mane hayaconsiders
  7. ei govardhanathis is Govardhana Hill
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”, “govardhana”

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 me about the way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu experienced the forest and hills?

Practice

Read the translation slowly, recalling the forest as Vṛndāvana and the hills as Govardhana in the Lord’s experience.

Live this todaySeeing Vṛndāvana in the ForestThis 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 17.55? Get an answer from the verses themselves.