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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 9.1

নানামতগ্রাহগ্রস্তান্ দাক্ষিণাত্যজনদ্বিপান্ ।

কৃপারিণা বিমুচ্যৈতান্ গৌরশ্চক্রে স বৈষ্ণবান্ ॥ ১ ॥

nānā-mata-grāha-grastān

dākṣiṇātya-jana-dvipān

kṛpāriṇā vimucyaitān

gauraś cakre sa vaiṣṇavān

Translation

Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu converted the inhabitants of South India. These people were as strong as elephants, but they were in the clutches of the crocodiles of various philosophies, such as the Buddhist, Jain and Māyāvāda philosophies. With His disc of mercy the Lord delivered them all by converting them into Vaiṣṇavas, devotees of the Lord.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s mercy delivers people into devotion

  1. 1

    The people of South India were compared to strong elephants caught by crocodiles. These crocodiles represent Buddhist, Jain and Māyāvāda philosophies.

  2. 2

    Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s deliverance of these people is compared to Lord Viṣṇu’s saving Gajendra from a crocodile.

  3. 3

    With His disc of mercy, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu freed them from these philosophies and made them Vaiṣṇavas, devotees of the Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s converting the people of South India into Vaiṣṇavas is compared herein to Lord Viṣṇu’s delivering Gajendra the elephant from the attack of a crocodile.
  • When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu visited southern India, almost all the residents were within the jaws of the crocodiles of Buddhist, Jain and Māyāvāda philosophy.
  • However, just as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the form of Viṣṇu saved the elephant Gajendra from the clutches of a crocodile, so He saved all the people of South India from the clutches of various philosophies by converting them into Vaiṣṇavas.

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

Wonder and inclusion. Meetings across sacred places display the broad reach of devotional mercy.

The mood of Madhya 9 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 9: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Travels to the Holy Places

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

Finally the Lord went to Śrī Raṅga-kṣetra, where He converted a brāhmaṇa named Veṅkaṭa Bhaṭṭa, who, along with his family, took up devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. After leaving Śrī Raṅga, Caitanya Mahāprabhu reached Ṛṣabha-parvata, where He met Paramānanda Purī, who later arrived at Jagannātha Purī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 9
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. nānā-mataby various philosophies
  2. grāhalike crocodiles
  3. grastāncaptured
  4. dākṣiṇātya-janathe inhabitants of South India
  5. dvipānlike elephants
  6. kṛpā-ariṇāby His disc of mercy
  7. vimucyaliberating
  8. etānall these
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “mercy”, “delivered”, “deliverance”

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 the image of a strong elephant needing rescue teach me about dependence on the Lord’s mercy?

Practice

Take a moment today to ask Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu for His mercy to become a devotee of the Lord.

Live this todayThe Lord’s mercy delivers people into devotionThis 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 9.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.