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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 21.21Madhya 21.23

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.22

সবে হৈলা চতুর্ভুজ বৈকুণ্ঠের পতি ।

পৃথক্‌ পৃথক্‌ ব্রহ্মাণ্ডের ব্রহ্মা করে স্তুতি ॥ ২২ ॥

sabe hailā caturbhuja vaikuṇṭhera pati

pṛthak pṛthak brahmāṇḍera brahmā kare stuti

Translation

“The cowherd boys then became four-handed Nārāyaṇas, predominating Deities of Vaikuṇṭha planets. All the separate Brahmās from different universes began to offer their prayers unto the Lords.

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 Cowherd Boys Become Nārāyaṇas

  1. 1

    The cowherd boys became four-handed Nārāyaṇas.

  2. 2

    These Nārāyaṇas were the predominating Deities of Vaikuṇṭha planets.

  3. 3

    The separate Brahmās from different universes began offering prayers unto the Lords.

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 Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fully describes Kṛṣṇaloka, the spiritual sky, the Causal Ocean and the material world, which consists of innumerable universes. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then describes Lord Brahmā’s interview with Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā and the Lord’s curbing the pride of Brahmā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 21
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sabeall of them
  2. hailābecame
  3. catur-bhujafour-handed
  4. vaikuṇṭhera patipredominating Deities of the Vaikuṇṭha planets
  5. pṛthak pṛthakseparately
  6. brahmāṇḍeraof the universes
  7. brahmāthe predominating deities known as Lord Brahmā
  8. kare stutioffer prayers
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: “cowherd”

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 stands out to me about the Brahmās responding to these Lords with prayers?

Practice

Reread the verse and briefly reflect on the Brahmās offering their prayers.

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 Cowherd Boys Become NārāyaṇasThis 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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