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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 5.41Madhya 5.43

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 5.42

বিপ্র বলে, — “সাক্ষী বোলাঞা করিবেক ন্যায় ।

জিতি’ কন্যা লবে, মোর ব্যর্থ ধর্ম হয় ॥” ৪২ ॥

vipra bale, — “sākṣī bolāñā karibeka nyāya

jiti’ kanyā labe, mora vyartha dharma haya”

Translation

The elderly brāhmaṇa said, “If I do not give my daughter to the young brāhmaṇa, he will call Śrī Gopālajī as a witness. Thus he will take my daughter by force, and in that case my religious principles will become meaningless.”

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.

Religious Principles Are at Stake

  1. 1

    The elderly brāhmaṇa said that the young brāhmaṇa would call Śrī Gopālajī as a witness.

  2. 2

    He feared that the young brāhmaṇa would then take his daughter by force.

  3. 3

    He felt that, in that case, his religious principles would become meaningless.

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:

The elderly brāhmaṇa was very satisfied with the service of the young brāhmaṇa, and he wanted to offer him his youngest daughter in marriage. The young brāhmaṇa received the promise of his elder before the Gopāla Deity of Vṛndāvana.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 5
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. vipra balethe brāhmaṇa says
  2. sākṣīa witness
  3. bolāñācalling for
  4. karibekathere will be
  5. nyāyajustice
  6. jiti’winning
  7. kanyāthe daughter
  8. labehe will take
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When facing pressure, how carefully do you consider what is at stake for your religious principles?

Practice

Identify one decision you face and write down how it could affect your religious principles.

Live this todayReligious Principles Are at StakeThis 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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