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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
  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 6: The Liberation of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya
Madhya 6.103Madhya 6.105

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 6.104

সুবর্ণবর্ণো হেমাঙ্গো বরাঙ্গশ্চন্দনাঙ্গদী ।

সন্ন্যাসকৃচ্ছমঃ শান্তো নিষ্ঠা-শান্তি-পরায়ণঃ ॥ ১০৪ ॥

suvarṇa-varṇo hemāṅgo

varāṅgaś candanāṅgadī

sannyāsa-kṛc chamaḥ śānto

niṣṭhā-śānti-parāyaṇaḥ

Translation

“ ‘The Lord [in the incarnation of Gaurasundara] has a golden complexion. Indeed, His entire body, which is very nicely constituted, is like molten gold. Sandalwood pulp is smeared all over His body. He will take the fourth order of spiritual life [sannyāsa] and will be very much self-controlled. He will be distinguished from Māyāvādī sannyāsīs in that He will be fixed in devotional service and will spread the saṅkīrtana movement.’”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Gaurasundara Spreads Devotional Chanting

  1. 1

    The Lord as Gaurasundara has a golden complexion and a beautifully constituted body like molten gold. Sandalwood pulp covers His body.

  2. 2

    He accepts sannyāsa, the fourth order of spiritual life, and is very self-controlled.

  3. 3

    He is distinguished from Māyāvādī sannyāsīs by being fixed in devotional service and spreading the saṅkīrtana movement. Gopīnātha Ācārya quotes this description from the Mahābhārata’s Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra.

Key points from the purport
  • Gopīnātha Ācārya quoted this verse from the Mahābhārata’s Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra.

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

Doubt transformed to devotion. Intellectual resistance gives way to a profound change of heart.

The mood of Madhya 6 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 6: The Liberation of Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya

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

Hearing all these arguments, Caitanya Mahāprabhu told His devotees that Sārvabhauma was His spiritual master and that whatever he said out of affection was for everyone’s benefit. When Sārvabhauma met Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he asked Him to hear Vedānta philosophy from him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 6
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. suvarṇa-varṇaḥwhose complexion is like gold
  2. hema-aṅgaḥhaving a body like molten gold
  3. vara-aṅgaḥwhose body is very beautifully constructed
  4. candana-aṅgadīsmeared with the pulp of sandalwood
  5. sannyāsa-kṛtaccepting the renounced order of life
  6. śamaḥself-controlled
  7. śāntaḥpeaceful
  8. niṣṭhāfirmly fixed
  9. śāntibringing peace by propagating the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra
  10. parāyaṇaḥalways in the ecstatic mood of devotional service
3

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: “saṅkīrtana”

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “service”

  • 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

What does this description teach me about the importance of devotion alongside self-control?

Practice

Take a few minutes today to chant the Lord’s holy name as an act of devotional service.

Live this todayGaurasundara Spreads Devotional 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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