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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 · Texts Ādi 1.69-70

একই বিগ্রহ যদি হয় বহুরূপ ।

আকারে ত’ ভেদ নাহি, একই স্বরূপ ॥ ৬৯ ॥

মহিষী–বিবাহে, যৈছে যৈছে কৈল রাস ।

ইহাকে কহিয়ে কৃষ্ণের মুখ্য ‘প্রকাশ’ ॥ ৭০ ॥

eka-i vigraha yadi haya bahu-rūpa

ākāre ta’ bheda nāhi, eka-i svarūpa

Translation

When the Personality of Godhead expands Himself in many forms, all nondifferent in Their features, as Lord Kṛṣṇa did when He married sixteen thousand queens and when He performed His rāsa dance, such forms of the Lord are called manifested forms [prakāśa-vigrahas].

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Prakāśa Forms Have Identical Features

  1. 1

    The Personality of Godhead can expand Himself into many forms whose features are all nondifferent.

  2. 2

    Lord Kṛṣṇa displayed such forms when He married sixteen thousand queens and when He performed His rāsa dance.

  3. 3

    These forms of the Lord are called manifested forms, or prakāśa-vigrahas.

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:

Next are the incarnations ( avatāras ) of the Lord, who are explained to be nondifferent from the Lord. These incarnations are considered in three divisions — incarnations of the potency of the Lord, incarnations of His qualities, and incarnations of His authority.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 1
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. eka-ithe same one
  2. vigrahaperson
  3. yadiif
  4. hayabecomes
  5. bahu-rūpamany forms
  6. ākārein appearance
  7. ta’certainly
  8. bhedadifference
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • 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: “rāsa”

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 do the two pastimes mentioned here illustrate prakāśa-vigrahas?

Practice

Read the translation again and identify the feature shared by all these manifested forms.

Live this todayPrakāśa Forms Have Identical FeaturesThis 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 1.69-70? Get an answer from the verses themselves.