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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

1Say the verse. Read the transliteration aloud, slowly.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each word and its meaning.
3Read the translation. Ask: what is happening here, and who is it about?
4Read the purport slowly. Read it twice. Don't rush.
5See Lord Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa. Remember who is acting in the pastime.
6Take one thing into your day. Note one point and one practice.

Read the full guide: how to read Caitanya Caritamrta ›

Madhya-līlā · Chapter 3: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Stay at the House of Advaita Ācārya

Madhya 3.13 Madhya 3.15

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 3.14

শুনি’ তা-সবার নিকট গেলা গৌরহরি ।

‘বল’ ‘বল’ বলে সবারে শিরে হস্ত ধরি’ ॥ ১৪ ॥

śuni’ tā-sabāra nikaṭa gelā gaurahari

‘bala’ ‘bala’ bale sabāra śire hasta dhari’

Translation

When He heard all the cowherd boys also chanting “Hari! Hari!” Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased. He approached them, put His hand on their heads and said, “Go on chanting like that.”

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Go On Chanting

1
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased to hear the cowherd boys chanting “Hari! Hari!”
2
He approached the boys and put His hand on their heads.
3
He encouraged them by saying, “Go on chanting like that.”

How it feels

Reunion and heartbreaking parting. After sannyāsa, mother Śacī and the devotees reunite with Him before consenting to separation.

The mood of Madhya 3 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Madhya 3: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Stay at the House of Advaita Ācārya

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

After accepting the sannyāsa order at Katwa, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu traveled continuously for three days in Rāḍha-deśa and, by the trick of Nityānanda Prabhu, eventually came to the western side of Śāntipura. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu was induced to believe that the river Ganges was the Yamunā.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in Madhya 3

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

śuni’hearing
tā-sabāraof all of them
nikaṭanear
gelāwent
gaurahariŚrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
bala balago on speaking, go on speaking
baleHe said
sabāraof all of them
śire hasta dhari’keeping His hand on their heads

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together
Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas
In this verse: “chanting”, “hari”
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.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might His words “Go on chanting like that” encourage your chanting today?

Practice

Chant “Hari! Hari!” for a short time, remembering His encouragement to continue.

Live this todayGo On ChantingThis 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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