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 20.257Madhya 20.259

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.258

সহস্রপত্রং কমলং গোকুলাখ্যং মহৎপদম্ ।

তৎকর্ণিকারং তদ্ধাম তদনন্তাংশসম্ভবম্ ॥ ২৫৮ ॥

sahasra-patraṁ kamalaṁ

gokulākhyaṁ mahat padam

tat-karṇikāraṁ tad-dhāma

tad anantāṁśa-sambhavam

Translation

“ ‘Gokula, the supreme abode and planet, appears like a lotus flower that has a thousand petals. The whorl of that lotus is the abode of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. This lotus-shaped supreme abode is created by the will of Lord Ananta.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Gokula Is Kṛṣṇa’s Lotus-Shaped Supreme Abode

  1. 1

    This quotation from the Brahma-saṁhitā describes Gokula, the supreme abode and planet, as a lotus flower with a thousand petals.

  2. 2

    The whorl of that lotus is the abode of the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    This lotus-shaped supreme abode is created by the will of Lord Ananta.

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 the Lord described the many forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He also described the incarnations of God within the material world, incarnations such as the puruṣa-avatāras, manvantara-avatāras, guṇa-avatāras and śaktyāveśa-avatāras.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sahasra-patramwith thousands of petals
  2. kamalamresembling a lotus flower
  3. gokula-ākhyamnamed Gokula
  4. mahat padamthe supreme abode
  5. tat-karṇikāramthe whorl of that lotus flower
  6. tat-dhāmathe abode of the Lord
  7. tatthat
  8. ananta-aṁśafrom the expansion of the energy of Ananta
  9. sambhavamcreation
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to you in this description of Kṛṣṇa’s supreme abode?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute recalling Gokula as a thousand-petaled lotus, with Kṛṣṇa’s abode in its whorl.

4

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 todayGokula Is Kṛṣṇa’s Lotus-Shaped Supreme AbodeThis 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 20.258? 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