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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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Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

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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 20.329Madhya 20.331

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.330

শুক্ল-রক্ত-কৃষ্ণ-পীত — ক্রমে চারি বর্ণ ।

চারি বর্ণ ধরি’ কৃষ্ণ করেন যুগধর্ম ॥ ৩৩০ ॥

śukla-rakta-kṛṣṇa-pīta — krame cāri varṇa

cāri varṇa dhari’ kṛṣṇa karena yuga-dharma

Translation

“In the four yugas — Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali — the Lord incarnates in four colors: white, red, black and yellow respectively. These are the colors of the incarnations in different millenniums.

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.

The Lord’s Four Colors in Four Yugas

  1. 1

    In Satya-yuga, the Lord incarnates in white.

  2. 2

    In Tretā-yuga He incarnates in red, and in Dvāpara-yuga He incarnates in black.

  3. 3

    In Kali-yuga, the Lord incarnates in yellow. These colors correspond to His incarnations in the different millenniums.

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:

The Lord also discussed the divisions of Kṛṣṇa’s different ages, such as bālya and paugaṇḍa, and the different pastimes of the different ages. He explained how Kṛṣṇa attained His permanent form when He reached youth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. śuklawhite
  2. raktared
  3. kṛṣṇablack
  4. pītayellow
  5. krameone after another
  6. cāri varṇafour colors
  7. cāri varṇa dhari’accepting these four colors
  8. kṛṣṇaLord Kṛṣṇa
  9. karena yuga-dharmamanifests His pastimes in different millenniums
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which yuga and color pair do you most need to review?

Practice

Make a four-line list matching each yuga with the Lord’s color.

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 todayThe Lord’s Four Colors in Four YugasThis 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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