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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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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 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth
Madhya 20.176Madhya 20.178

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.177

স্বয়ংরূপের গোপবেশ, গোপ-অভিমান ।

বাসুদেবের ক্ষত্রিয়-বেশ, ‘আমি — ক্ষত্রিয়’-জ্ঞান ॥ ১৭৭ ॥

svayaṁ-rūpera gopa-veśa, gopa-abhimāna

vāsudevera kṣatriya-veśa, ‘āmi — kṣatriya’-jñāna

Translation

“In His original form, the Lord dresses like a cowherd boy and thinks Himself one. When He appears as Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva and Devakī, His dress and consciousness are those of a kṣatriya, a warrior.

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.

Cowherd Boy and Warrior

  1. 1

    In His original form, the Lord dresses like a cowherd boy and thinks Himself one.

  2. 2

    As Vāsudeva, He appears as the son of Vasudeva and Devakī.

  3. 3

    Vāsudeva’s dress and consciousness are those of a kṣatriya, a warrior. This differs from the Lord’s original cowherd identity.

How it feels

Humility and restored identity. A seeker relinquishes status, asks fundamental questions, and receives sambandha knowledge.

The mood of Madhya 20 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth

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

Caitanya Mahāprabhu called him in and ordered him to change his dress so that he would look like a gentleman. For his garment, he used an old cloth of Tapana Miśra’s.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. svayam-rūperaof the original form
  2. gopa-veśathe dress of a cowherd boy
  3. gopa-abhimānathinking Himself a cowherd boy
  4. vāsudeveraof Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva and Devakī
  5. kṣatriya-veśathe dress is like that of a kṣatriya
  6. āmiI
  7. kṣatriyaa kṣatriya
  8. jñānaknowledge
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: “cowherd”

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 does the verse say about both the Lord’s dress and His sense of identity?

Practice

Make two short notes comparing the dress and consciousness of the cowherd boy and Vāsudeva.

5

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayCowherd Boy and WarriorThis 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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