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

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
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 20.186Madhya 20.188

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.187

ব্রজে গোপভাব রামের, পুরে ক্ষত্রিয়-ভাবন ।

বর্ণ-বেশ-ভেদ, তাতে ‘বিলাস’ তাঁর নাম ॥ ১৮৭ ॥

vraje gopa-bhāva rāmera, pure kṣatriya-bhāvana

varṇa-veśa-bheda, tāte ‘vilāsa’ tāṅra nāma

Translation

“Balarāma, who has the same original form as Kṛṣṇa, is Himself a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana, and He also considers Himself a member of the kṣatriya race in Dvārakā. Thus His color and dress are different, and He is called a pastime form of Kṛṣṇa.

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.

Balarāma as Kṛṣṇa’s Pastime Form

  1. 1

    Balarāma has the same original form as Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    He is a cowherd boy in Vṛndāvana and considers Himself a member of the kṣatriya race in Dvārakā.

  3. 3

    His color and dress are different, and He is called a pastime form of Kṛṣṇa.

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. vrajein Vṛndāvana
  2. gopa-bhāvaemotion of a cowherd boy
  3. rāmeraof Balarāma
  4. purein Dvārakā
  5. kṣatriya-bhāvanathe emotion of a kṣatriya
  6. varṇa-veśa-bhedaby differences of dress and color
  7. tātetherefore
  8. vilāsapastime expansion
  9. tāṅra nāmaHis name
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”, “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 similarities and differences does this description of Balarāma ask you to notice?

Practice

Make two short notes about Balarāma: His identity in Vṛndāvana and His identity in Dvārakā.

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 todayBalarāma as Kṛṣṇa’s Pastime FormThis 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 20.187? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters