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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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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 1.54

ঋতেঽর্থং যৎ প্রতীয়েত ন প্রতীয়েত চাত্মনি ।

তদ্বিদ্যাদাত্মনো মায়াং যথাভাসো যথা তমঃ ॥ ৫৪ ॥

ṛte ’rthaṁ yat pratīyeta

na pratīyeta cātmani

tad vidyād ātmano māyāṁ

yathābhāso yathā tamaḥ

Translation

“What appears to be truth without Me is certainly My illusory energy, for nothing can exist without Me. It is like a reflection of a real light in the shadows, for in the light there are neither shadows nor reflections.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Material Nature Depends on Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    To understand the Absolute Truth, one must also understand relative truth. This relative truth is called māyā, or material nature.

  2. 2

    Māyā has no independent existence. Whatever appears to exist without the Lord is His illusory energy.

  3. 3

    The wonderful activities of material nature take place under the Supreme Lord’s direction. Nature produces moving and nonmoving beings only under Kṛṣṇa’s supervision.

Key points from the purport
  • In the previous verse the Absolute Truth and its nature have been explained.
  • One must also understand the relative truth to actually know the Absolute.
  • The relative truth, which is called māyā, or material nature, is explained here.

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 1.54 quotesBG 9.10

In the Bhagavad-gītā (9.10) it is said, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakrtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: the material nature is working and producing moving and nonmoving beings only by the supervision of Kṛṣṇa.

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:

The first manifestation described is the spiritual master, who appears in two plenary parts called the initiating spiritual master and instructing spiritual master. They are identical because both of them are phenomenal manifestations of the Supreme Truth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 1
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ṛtewithout
  2. arthamvalue
  3. yatthat which
  4. pratīyetaappears to be
  5. nanot
  6. pratīyetaappears to be
  7. cacertainly
  8. ātmaniin relation to Me
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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When you notice the wonders of nature, do you also consider the Lord’s direction behind them?

Practice

Observe one living being today and remember that material nature works under Kṛṣṇa’s supervision.

Live this todayMaterial Nature Depends on KṛṣṇaThis 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.

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