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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 5: The Activities of Sākṣi-gopāla
Madhya 5.141Madhya 5.144

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Madhya 5.142-143

কপোতেশ্বর দেখিতে গেলা ভক্তগণ সঙ্গে ।

এথা নিত্যানন্দপ্রভু কৈল দণ্ড-ভঙ্গে ॥ ১৪২ ॥

kapoteśvara dekhite gelā bhakta-gaṇa saṅge

ethā nityānanda-prabhu kaila daṇḍa-bhaṅge

Translation

When Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu went to the temple of Lord Śiva known as Kapoteśvara, Nityānanda Prabhu, who was keeping His sannyāsa staff in custody, broke the staff in three parts and threw it into the river Bhārgīnadī. Later this river became known as Daṇḍa-bhāṅgā-nadī.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Staff and Stages of Sannyāsa

  1. 1

    While Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited the Kapoteśvara temple, Nityānanda Prabhu broke His staff into three parts and threw it into the Bhārgīnadī. The river later became known as Daṇḍa-bhāṅgā-nadī.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura explains that Mahāprabhu accepted sannyāsa from a Māyāvādī sannyāsī. Māyāvādī sannyāsīs generally carry one staff.

  3. 3

    The four divisions of sannyāsa are kuṭīcaka, bahūdaka, haṁsa and paramahaṁsa. The purport explains that the staff is carried in the first two stages and given up upon reaching haṁsa or paramahaṁsa after touring and preaching the bhakti cult.

Key points from the purport
  • The mystery of the sannyāsa-daṇḍa (staff) of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has been explained by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted the order of sannyāsa from a Māyāvādī sannyāsī.
  • Taking advantage of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s absence, Śrīla Nityānanda Prabhu broke the staff into three parts and threw it into the river later known as the Daṇḍa-bhāṅgā-nadī.

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

Faith vindicated. The Deity bears witness; anxiety over a broken promise becomes astonishment and relief.

The mood of Madhya 5 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 5: The Activities of Sākṣi-gopāla

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

However, Nityānanda Prabhu broke the staff into three pieces and threw it into the Bhārgī River at a place known as Āṭhāranālā. Being angry at not getting His staff back, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu left the company of Nityānanda Prabhu and went alone to see the Jagannātha temple.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 5
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kapoteśvarathe Śiva temple of the name Kapoteśvara
  2. dekhiteto see
  3. gelāwent
  4. bhakta-gaṇa saṅgewith the devotees
  5. ethāhere
  6. nityānanda-prabhuLord Nityānanda Prabhu
  7. kailadid
  8. daṇḍaof the sannyāsa staff
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the explanation of the stages of sannyāsa help you understand the breaking of the staff?

Practice

Write down the four stages of sannyāsa and mark which two permit carrying a staff.

Live this todayThe Staff and Stages of SannyāsaThis 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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