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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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 3.88

এই মত হাস্যরসে করেন ভোজন ।

অর্ধ-অর্ধ খাঞা প্রভু ছাড়েন ব্যঞ্জন ॥ ৮৮ ॥

ei mata hāsya-rase karena bhojana

ardha-ardha khāñā prabhu chāḍena vyañjana

Translation

In this way, Nityānanda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu ate and talked with Advaita Ācārya jokingly. After eating half of each vegetable preparation given to Him, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu abandoned it and went on to the next.

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.

A Meal Shared With Joking Conversation

  1. 1

    Nityānanda Prabhu and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu eat while talking with Advaita Ācārya.

  2. 2

    Their conversation is explicitly described as joking.

  3. 3

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu eats half of each vegetable preparation given to Him, then leaves it and moves to the next.

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

Further reading

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:

Mother Śacīdevī cooked for Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu, and at that time there were many joking exchanges between Advaita Prabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu. In the evening there was a mass saṅkīrtana at the house of Advaita Prabhu, and mother Śacīdevī gave Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu permission to leave.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 3
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ei matain this way
  2. hāsya-rasejokingly
  3. karenadoes
  4. bhojanaeating
  5. ardha-ardhahalf and half
  6. khāñāafter eating
  7. prabhuthe Lord
  8. chāḍenagives up
  9. vyañjanaall the vegetables
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “conversation”

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 does the joking conversation help me notice about this meal?

Practice

Read the translation once more, paying attention to both the conversation and the sequence of eating.

Live this todayA Meal Shared With Joking ConversationThis 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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