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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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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 ›
Ādi-līlā · Chapter 1: The Spiritual Masters
Ādi 1.47Ādi 1.49

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 1.48

নৈবোপযন্ত্যপচিতিং কবয়স্তবেশ

ব্রহ্মায়ুষাপি কৃতমৃদ্ধমুদঃ স্মরন্তঃ ।

যোঽন্তর্বহিস্তনুভৃতামশুভং বিধুন্ব–

ন্নাচার্য–চৈত্ত্যবপুষা স্বগতিং ব্যনক্তি ॥ ৪৮ ॥

naivopayanty apacitiṁ kavayas taveśa

brahmāyuṣāpi kṛtam ṛddha-mudaḥ smarantaḥ

yo ’ntar bahis tanu-bhṛtām aśubhaṁ vidhunvann

ācārya-caittya-vapuṣā sva-gatiṁ vyanakti

Translation

“O my Lord! Transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science could not fully express their indebtedness to You, even if they were endowed with the prolonged lifetime of Brahmā, for You appear in two features — externally as the ācārya and internally as the Supersoul — to deliver the embodied living being by directing him how to come to You.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Gratitude for the Lord’s Twofold Guidance

  1. 1

    Śrī Uddhava spoke these words after hearing from Śrī Kṛṣṇa all necessary instructions about yoga.

  2. 2

    Even transcendental poets and experts in spiritual science could not fully express their indebtedness to the Lord, even with a lifetime as long as Brahmā’s.

  3. 3

    The Lord appears externally as the ācārya and internally as the Supersoul. In both features, He delivers the embodied living being by directing him how to come to Him.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.29.6) was spoken by Śrī Uddhava after he heard from Śrī Kṛṣṇa all necessary instructions about yoga.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Ādi 1.48 quotesSB 11.29.6

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.29.6) was spoken by Śrī Uddhava after he heard from Śrī Kṛṣṇa all necessary instructions about yoga.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

He belongs to the transcendental plane beyond the reach of the imperfect sense perception of a living being. Even the most erudite mundane scholar cannot approach the transcendental plane unless he submits himself to transcendental sound with a receptive mood, for in that mood only can one realize the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 1
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. na evanot at all
  2. upayantiare able to express
  3. apacitimtheir gratitude
  4. kavayaḥlearned devotees
  5. tavaYour
  6. īśaO Lord
  7. brahma-āyuṣāwith a lifetime equal to Lord Brahmā’s
  8. apiin spite of
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: “deliver”, “delivers”

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 gratitude do I feel for the Lord’s guidance from within and without?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer of thanks to the Lord for guiding you as the ācārya and the Supersoul.

Live this todayGratitude for the Lord’s Twofold GuidanceThis 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 1.48? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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