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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 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Madhya 21.108Madhya 21.110

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.109

মুক্তাহার — বকপাঁতি,     ইন্দ্রধনু-পিঞ্ছ ততি,

পীতাম্বর — বিজুরী-সঞ্চার ।

কৃষ্ণ নব-জলধর,     জগৎ-শস্য-উপর,

বরিষয়ে লীলামৃত-ধার ॥ ১০৯ ॥

muktā-hāra — baka-pāṅti, indra-dhanu-piñcha tati,

pītāmbara — vijurī-sañcāra

kṛṣṇa nava-jaladhara, jagat-śasya-upara,

variṣaye līlāmṛta-dhāra

Translation

“Kṛṣṇa wears a pearl necklace that appears like a chain of white herons around His neck. The peacock feather in His hair appears like a rainbow, and His yellow garments appear like lightning in the sky. Kṛṣṇa appears like a newly risen cloud, and the gopīs appear like newly grown grains in the field. Constant rains of nectarean pastimes fall upon these newly grown grains, and it seems that the gopīs are receiving beams of life from Kṛṣṇa, exactly as grains receive life from the rains.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes Give the Gopīs Life

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s pearl necklace resembles a chain of white herons, His peacock feather a rainbow, and His yellow garments lightning.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa appears like a newly risen cloud, while the gopīs appear like newly grown grains in a field.

  3. 3

    His nectarean pastimes fall like constant rain upon the gopīs. They seem to receive life from Him just as grains receive life from rain.

How it feels

Awe becoming attraction. The Lord’s vast opulence is placed beside the intimate sweetness of Kṛṣṇa.

The mood of Madhya 21 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this chapter the author of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta has presented some nice poems about the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa’s superexcellent beauty. Throughout the rest of the chapter, our intimate relationship ( sambandha ) with Kṛṣṇa is described.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 21
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. muktā-hāraa necklace of pearls
  2. baka-pāṅtilike a row of white herons
  3. indra-dhanulike a rainbow
  4. piñchaa peacock feather
  5. tatithere
  6. pīta-ambarayellow garments
  7. vijurī-sañcāralike the appearance of lightning in the sky
  8. kṛṣṇaLord Kṛṣṇa
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: “gopīs”

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 the image of rain nourishing grains help you appreciate the gopīs’ relationship with Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read the cloud-and-rain comparison aloud once, giving special attention to how Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes nourish the gopīs.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Pastimes Give the Gopīs LifeThis 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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