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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 1.87Ādi 1.90

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Ādi 1.88-89

সূর্যচন্দ্র হরে যৈছে সব অন্ধকার ।

বস্তু প্রকাশিয়া করে ধর্মের প্রচার ॥ ৮৮ ॥

এই মত দুই ভাই জীবের অজ্ঞান– ।

তমোনাশ করি’ কৈল তত্ত্ববস্তু–দান ॥ ৮৯ ॥

sūrya-candra hare yaiche saba andhakāra

vastu prakāśiyā kare dharmera pracāra

Translation

As the sun and moon drive away darkness by their appearance and reveal the nature of everything, these two brothers dissipate the darkness of ignorance covering the living beings and enlighten them with knowledge of the Absolute Truth.

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.

Dispelling Ignorance, Revealing the Absolute Truth

  1. 1

    The sun and moon drive away darkness by their appearance and reveal the nature of everything.

  2. 2

    Similarly, the two brothers dissipate the darkness of ignorance covering living beings.

  3. 3

    They enlighten living beings with knowledge of the Absolute Truth.

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:

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and His plenary expansions are all in the category of the Lord Himself, the energetic Absolute Truth, whereas His devotees, His eternal associates, are His energies. The energy and energetic are fundamentally one, but since their functions are differently exhibited, they are simultaneously different also.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 1
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sūrya-candrathe sun and the moon
  2. haredrive away
  3. yaichejust as
  4. sabaall
  5. andhakāradarkness
  6. vastutruth
  7. prakāśiyāmanifesting
  8. karedo
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the comparison with sunlight and moonlight help you understand spiritual enlightenment?

Practice

Reread the translation and reflect for one minute on the difference between ignorance and knowledge of the Absolute Truth.

Live this todayDispelling Ignorance, Revealing the Absolute TruthThis 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 1.88-89? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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