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Study a Verse

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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.331

আসন্‌ বর্ণাস্ত্রয়ো হ্যস্য গৃহ্ণতোঽনুযুগং তনূঃ ।

শুক্লো রক্তস্তথা পীত ইদানীং কৃষ্ণতাং গতঃ ॥ ৩৩১ ॥

āsan varṇās trayo hy asya

gṛhṇato ’nu-yugaṁ tanūḥ

śuklo raktas tathā pīta

idānīṁ kṛṣṇatāṁ gataḥ

Translation

“ ‘This child formerly had three colors according to the prescribed color for different millenniums. Formerly He was white, red and yellow, and now He has assumed a blackish color.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Colors in Different Millenniums

  1. 1

    Garga Muni spoke these words during Kṛṣṇa’s name-giving ceremony at the house of Nanda Mahārāja.

  2. 2

    He explained that the child had formerly been white, red and yellow, according to the prescribed colors for different millenniums.

  3. 3

    The child had now assumed a blackish color. This statement is from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.8.13) was spoken by Garga Muni when performing the name-giving ceremony for Kṛṣṇa at the house of Nanda Mahārāja.
  • The following two verses are also from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.21, 24).

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

Connected verses· 2

The purport of CC Madhya 20.331 quotesSB 10.8.13

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.8.13) was spoken by Garga Muni when performing the name-giving ceremony for Kṛṣṇa at the house of Nanda Mahārāja.

The purport of CC Madhya 20.331 quotesSB 11.5.21

The following two verses are also from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.21, 24).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. āsanthere were
  2. varṇāḥcolors
  3. trayaḥthree
  4. hicertainly
  5. asyaof your son
  6. gṛhṇataḥaccepting
  7. anu-yugamaccording to the millennium
  8. tanūḥbody
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: “nanda”

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 Garga Muni’s statement help you notice about Kṛṣṇa’s appearances?

Practice

Read the translation slowly, noting the three former colors and the present blackish color.

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 todayKṛṣṇa’s Colors in Different MillenniumsThis 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 20.331? Get an answer from the verses themselves.