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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 8.56

নমস্কার কৈল রায়, প্রভু কৈল আলিঙ্গনে ।

দুই জনে কৃষ্ণ-কথা কয় রহঃস্থানে ॥ ৫৬ ॥

namaskāra kaila rāya, prabhu kaila āliṅgane

dui jane kṛṣṇa-kathā kaya rahaḥ-sthāne

Translation

Rāmānanda Rāya approached Lord Śrī Caitanya and offered his respectful obeisances, and the Lord embraced him. Then they began to discuss Kṛṣṇa in a secluded place.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Share Kṛṣṇa Consciousness with Proper Care

  1. 1

    Rāmānanda Rāya offered respectful obeisances, and the Lord embraced him. They then discussed Kṛṣṇa in a secluded place.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes in Vṛndāvana, especially His dealings with the gopīs, are confidential and should not be discussed publicly. Those who mistake Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs for ordinary people commit great offenses.

  3. 3

    For the general public, saṅkīrtana is the most effective way to awaken Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and the principles of the Bhagavad-gītā may also be discussed. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave teachings suited to His listeners, reserving the topmost devotional dealings for discussion with Rāmānanda Rāya.

Key points from the purport
  • Talks about Kṛṣṇa and His pastimes — especially His pastimes in Vṛndāvana and His dealings with the gopīs — are all very confidential.
  • Following the principle of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who never discussed the dealings between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs publicly, devotees in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are enjoined not to discuss the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana in public.
  • However, He taught the principles of the bhakti cult to students like Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, and He discussed with Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya the topmost devotional dealings between Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs.

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

Deepening intimacy and revelation. Their exchange ascends from duty to pure love and the confidential moods of Vraja.

The mood of Madhya 8 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 8: Talks Between Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Rāmānanda Rāya

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

Rāmānanda Rāya, who was clothed in ordinary dress, offered the Lord respectful obeisances. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu questioned him on the object and process of worship and also asked him to recite verses from the Vedic literature.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 8
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. namaskāraobeisances
  2. kailaoffered
  3. rāyaRāmānanda Rāya
  4. prabhuLord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu
  5. kailadid
  6. āliṅganeembracing
  7. duitwo
  8. janethe persons
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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: “discuss”, “discussed”

  • Kṛpā & transformation · Mercy changes a life

    Transformative encounters with grace, from scholars and travelers to renunciants and householders. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “embraced”

  • 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: “vṛndāvana”, “gopīs”

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 can I follow the Lord’s care in choosing what to share about Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read one teaching from the Bhagavad-gītā today that you could share with someone new to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Live this todayShare Kṛṣṇa Consciousness with Proper CareThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 8.56? Get an answer from the verses themselves.