1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Ādi-līlā · 17 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 Ādi 1.45

গুরু কৃষ্ণরূপ হন শাস্ত্রের প্রমাণে ।

গুরুরূপে কৃষ্ণ কৃপা করেন ভক্তগণে ॥ ৪৫ ॥

guru kṛṣṇa-rūpa hana śāstrera pramāṇe

guru-rūpe kṛṣṇa kṛpā karena bhakta-gaṇe

Translation

According to the deliberate opinion of all revealed scriptures, the spiritual master is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Lord Kṛṣṇa in the form of the spiritual master delivers His devotees.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Delivers Through the Spiritual Master

  1. 1

    All revealed scriptures affirm that the spiritual master is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa delivers His devotees in the form of the spiritual master.

  2. 2

    A disciple’s relationship with his spiritual master is as good as his relationship with the Supreme Lord.

  3. 3

    The spiritual master represents himself as the humblest servitor of the Personality of Godhead. The disciple should see him as the manifested representation of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • The relationship of a disciple with his spiritual master is as good as his relationship with the Supreme Lord.
  • A spiritual master always represents himself as the humblest servitor of the Personality of Godhead, but the disciple must look upon him as the manifested representation of Godhead.

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

Reverence and gratitude. The narrator takes shelter of the guru-paramparā; receptivity begins with humility.

The mood of Ādi 1 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 1: The Spiritual Masters

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

It does not deviate even slightly from the revealed scriptures, and therefore anyone who follows in the disciplic line will be able to realize the essence of this book simply by the method of aural reception. The first chapter of Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta begins with fourteen Sanskrit verses that describe the Absolute Truth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 1
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. guruthe spiritual master
  2. kṛṣṇa-rūpaas good as Kṛṣṇa
  3. hanais
  4. śāstreraof revealed scriptures
  5. pramāṇeby the evidence
  6. guru-rūpein the form of the spiritual master
  7. kṛṣṇaLord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
  8. kṛpāmercy
  9. karenadistributes
  10. bhakta-gaṇeunto His devotees
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: “delivers”

  • Dainya & humility · Making room for grace

    The humility expressed by the author, devotees, transformed scholars, renunciants, and the Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “humblest”

  • Bhāva & rasa · The language of sacred feeling

    Transcendental devotional moods and relationships, discussed explicitly in Rāmānanda’s dialogue and the teachings on prema. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “relationship”

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 the spiritual master’s humility deepen my appreciation of his role?

Practice

Pause today to remember with gratitude that Kṛṣṇa delivers His devotees through the spiritual master.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Delivers Through the Spiritual MasterThis 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 Ādi 1.45? Get an answer from the verses themselves.