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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 9: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s Travels to the Holy Places
Madhya 9.210Madhya 9.213

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Madhya 9.211-212

সীতয়ারাধিতো বহ্নিশ্ছায়া-সীতামজীজনৎ ।

তাং জহার দশগ্রীবঃ সীতা বহ্নিপুরং গতা ॥ ২১১ ॥

sītayārādhito vahniś

chāyā-sītām ajījanat

tāṁ jahāra daśa-grīvaḥ

sītā vahni-puraṁ gatā

Translation

“When he was petitioned by mother Sītā, the fire-god, Agni, brought forth an illusory form of Sītā, and Rāvaṇa, who had ten heads, kidnapped the false Sītā. The original Sītā then went to the abode of the fire-god. When Lord Rāmacandra tested the body of Sītā, it was the false, illusory Sītā that entered the fire. At that time the fire-god brought the original Sītā from his abode and delivered her to Lord Rāmacandra.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Original Sītā Was Not Kidnapped

  1. 1

    These two verses come from the Kūrma Purāṇa. When mother Sītā petitioned Agni, he brought forth an illusory form of Sītā.

  2. 2

    Rāvaṇa kidnapped the false Sītā, while the original Sītā went to the abode of the fire-god.

  3. 3

    When Lord Rāmacandra tested Sītā, the illusory Sītā entered the fire. Agni then brought the original Sītā from his abode and delivered her to Lord Rāmacandra.

Key points from the purport
  • These two verses are taken from the Kūrma Purāṇa.

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:

He also visited Rāmeśvara, where He collected some papers connected with Sītādevī, whose illusory form had been kidnapped by Rāvaṇa. The Lord next visited the places known as Pāṇḍya-deśa, the Tāmraparṇī River, Naya-tripati, Ciyaḍatalā, Tila-kāñcī, Gajendra-mokṣaṇa, Pānāgaḍi, Cāmtāpura, Śrī Vaikuṇṭha, Malaya-parvata and Kanyā-kumārī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 9
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sītayāby mother Sītā
  2. ārādhitaḥbeing called for
  3. vahniḥthe fire-god
  4. chāyā-sītāmthe illusory form of mother Sītā
  5. ajījanatcreated
  6. tāmher
  7. jahārakidnapped
  8. daśa-grīvaḥthe ten-faced Rāvaṇa
3

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: “delivered”

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 does distinguishing the original Sītā from the illusory Sītā clarify this account for you?

Practice

Write one sentence explaining who was kidnapped and where the original Sītā remained.

Live this todayThe Original Sītā Was Not KidnappedThis 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 9.211-212? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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