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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 20.201Madhya 20.203

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.202

দ্বাদশ-তিলক-মন্ত্র এই দ্বাদশ নাম ।

আচমনে এই নামে স্পর্শি তত্তৎস্থান ॥ ২০২ ॥

dvādaśa-tilaka-mantra ei dvādaśa nāma

ācamane ei nāme sparśi tat-tat-sthāna

Translation

“When putting the twelve tilaka marks on the twelve places of the body, one has to chant the mantra consisting of these twelve Viṣṇu names. After daily worship, when one anoints the different parts of the body with water, these names should be chanted as one touches each part of the body.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Chant Viṣṇu’s Names When Applying Tilaka

  1. 1

    Twelve tilaka marks are placed on twelve places of the body.

  2. 2

    While marking the body with tilaka, one should chant the mantra consisting of twelve names of Lord Viṣṇu.

  3. 3

    After daily worship, these names should also be chanted when anointing the different parts of the body with water, touching each part.

Key points from the purport
  • While marking the body with tilaka, one should chant the following mantra, which consists oftwelve names of Lord Viṣṇu:

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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:

Thus Sanātana Gosvāmī finally arrived at Vārāṇasī and stood before the door of Candraśekhara. Caitanya Mahāprabhu called him in and ordered him to change his dress so that he would look like a gentleman.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. dvādaśa-tilakafor twelve marks of tilaka
  2. mantrathe mantra
  3. eithese
  4. dvādaśa nāmatwelve names
  5. ācamanein washing with water
  6. ei nāmewith these names
  7. sparśiwe touch
  8. tat-tat-sthānathe respective places
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “chant”, “names of”

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

How carefully do you attend to the names chanted during these acts of worship?

Practice

Write a reminder for your worship: chant the twelve Viṣṇu names when applying tilaka and when touching the body with water afterward.

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 todayChant Viṣṇu’s Names When Applying TilakaThis 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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