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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

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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 23: Life’s Ultimate Goal — Love of Godhead
Madhya 23.116Madhya 23.119

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Madhya 23.117-118

মৌষল-লীলা, আর কৃষ্ণ-অন্তর্ধান ।

কেশাবতার, আর যত বিরুদ্ধ ব্যাখ্যান ॥ ১১৭ ॥

mauṣala-līlā, āra kṛṣṇa-antardhāna

keśāvatāra, āra yata viruddha vyākhyāna

Translation

Illusory stories opposed to the conclusions of Kṛṣṇa consciousness concern the destruction of the Yadu dynasty, Kṛṣṇa’s disappearance, the story that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma arise from a black hair and a white hair of Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and the story about the kidnapping of the queens. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī the proper conclusions of these stories.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Understand the Proper Conclusions About Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī the proper conclusions concerning stories about Kṛṣṇa that were presented against the conclusions of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

  2. 2

    Due to envy, many asuras describe Kṛṣṇa as a crow or an incarnation of a hair. The Lord taught Sanātana Gosvāmī how to counteract these explanations.

  3. 3

    The purport explains keśa as ka-īśa: ka means Lord Brahmā, and īśa means Lord. Thus keśa indicates that Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of Lord Brahmā.

Key points from the purport
  • Due to envy, many asuras describe Kṛṣṇa to be like a black crow or an incarnation of a hair.
  • The word kāka means crow, and keśa means hair.
  • Thus the word keśa indicates that Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of Lord Brahmā.

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

How it feels

Theological emotional crescendo. Bhāva, prema, the devotional rasas, and mahābhāva are systematically expounded.

The mood of Madhya 23 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 23: Life’s Ultimate Goal — Love of Godhead

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

In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu blessed Sanātana Gosvāmī, placing His hand on his head. Thus Sanātana received the power to describe these subjects in books like Hari-bhakti-vilāsa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 23
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. mauṣala-līlāthe pastimes of destroying the Yadu dynasty
  2. āraalso
  3. kṛṣṇa-antardhānathe disappearance of Kṛṣṇa
  4. keśa-avatārathe incarnation of the hairs
  5. āraalso
  6. yataall
  7. viruddha vyākhyānastatements against the Kṛṣṇa conscious conclusions
  8. mahiṣī-haraṇakidnapping of the queens
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How carefully do I distinguish proper conclusions about Kṛṣṇa from misleading explanations?

Practice

Write down the purport's explanation of keśa and its conclusion that Kṛṣṇa is the Lord of Lord Brahmā.

Live this todayUnderstand the Proper Conclusions About KṛṣṇaThis 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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