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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 20.94Madhya 20.97

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Madhya 20.95-96

পূর্বে যৈছে রায়-পাশে প্রভু প্রশ্ন কৈলা ।

তাঁর শক্ত্যে রামানন্দ তাঁর উত্তর দিলা ॥ ৯৫ ॥

pūrve yaiche rāya-pāśe prabhu praśna kailā

tāṅra śaktye rāmānanda tāṅra uttara dilā

Translation

Formerly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had asked Rāmānanda Rāya spiritual questions, and by the Lord’s causeless mercy, Rāmānanda Rāya could properly reply. Now, by the Lord’s mercy, Sanātana Gosvāmī questioned the Lord, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally supplied the truth.

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 Mercy Enables Questions and Answers

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu had previously asked Rāmānanda Rāya spiritual questions.

  2. 2

    By the Lord’s causeless mercy, Rāmānanda Rāya could reply properly.

  3. 3

    Now Sanātana Gosvāmī questioned the Lord by His mercy, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally supplied the truth.

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:

Sanātana Gosvāmī, however, asked his servant how much money he had, and taking seven of the gold coins, Sanātana offered them to the hotel owner. Thus the owner helped them cross the hilly tract and proceed toward Vārāṇasī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. pūrveformerly
  2. yaicheas
  3. rāya-pāśeunto Rāmānanda Rāya
  4. prabhuŚrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  5. praśna kailāinquired
  6. tāṅra śaktyeonly by His mercy
  7. rāmānandaRāmānanda Rāya
  8. tāṅrahis
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life

    Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “mercy”

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 does seeing both questions and answers as dependent on mercy change my approach to study?

Practice

Before studying today, pray for the Lord’s mercy to ask sincerely and understand the truth.

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 todayThe Lord’s Mercy Enables Questions and AnswersThis 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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