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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 4: Śrī Mādhavendra Purī’s Devotional Service
Madhya 4.163Madhya 4.165

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 4.164

ইঁহাকে চন্দন দিলে, গোপাল হইবে শীতল ।

স্বতন্ত্র ঈশ্বর — তাঁর আজ্ঞা সে প্রবল ॥ ১৬৪ ॥

iṅhāke candana dile, gopāla ha-ibe śītala

svatantra īśvara — tāṅra ājñā se prabala

Translation

“If the sandalwood pulp is smeared over the body of Gopīnātha, then Gopāla will be cooled. After all, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely independent; His order is all-powerful.”

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 Lord’s order is all-powerful

  1. 1

    Mādhavendra Purī explained that applying sandalwood pulp to Gopīnātha would cool Gopāla.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is completely independent.

  3. 3

    His order is all-powerful.

How it feels

Selfless service and longing. Gopāla’s requests, Gopīnātha’s mercy, and Mādhavendra Purī’s devotion deepen the theme of longing.

The mood of Madhya 4 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 4: Śrī Mādhavendra Purī’s Devotional Service

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

Again he saw in a dream that Gopāla at Govardhana Hill desired that very sandalwood to be turned into pulp mixed with camphor and smeared over the body of Gopīnāthajī. Understanding that that would satisfy the Gopāla Deity at Govardhana, Mādhavendra Purī executed the order and returned to Jagannātha Purī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 4
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. iṅhākeunto Gopīnātha
  2. candana dilewhen sandalwood will be given
  3. gopālaLord Gopāla in Vṛndāvana
  4. ha-ibewill become
  5. śītalacool
  6. svatantra īśvarathe most independent Supreme Personality of Godhead
  7. tāṅraHis
  8. ājñāorder
  9. sethat
  10. prabalapowerful
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: “gopīnātha”

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 Lord’s complete independence shape my understanding of His instructions?

Practice

Read this translation slowly once more, reflecting on the words “His order is all-powerful.”

Live this todayThe Lord’s order is all-powerfulThis 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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