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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 2.11

বদন্তি তত্তত্ত্ববিদস্তত্ত্বং যজ্‌জ্ঞানমদ্বয়ম্‌ ।

ব্রহ্মেতি পরমাত্মেতি ভগবানিতি শব্দ্যতে ॥ ১১ ॥

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

Translation

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth say that it is nondual knowledge and is called impersonal Brahman, the localized Paramātmā and the Personality of Godhead.”

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

One Absolute Truth, Three Realizations

  1. 1

    Those who know the Absolute Truth understand it as knowledge without duality. This one truth is known as Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān.

  2. 2

    Approaching the Absolute through mental speculation leads ultimately to realization of impersonal Brahman. Approaching through yoga practice leads to realization of Paramātmā.

  3. 3

    One who has complete knowledge and spiritual understanding realizes the spiritual form of Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • This Sanskrit verse appears as the eleventh verse of the First Canto, second chapter, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, where Sūta Gosvāmī answers the questions of the sages headed by Śaunaka Ṛṣi concerning the essence of all scriptural instructions.
  • Tattva-vidaḥ refers to persons who have knowledge of the Absolute Truth.
  • The Absolute Truth is known sometimes as Brahman, sometimes as Paramātmā and sometimes as Bhagavān.

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

Revelatory awe. The identity of Caitanya as Kṛṣṇa is established; wonder becomes theological confidence.

The mood of Ādi 2 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 2: Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

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

Therefore, the Brahman effulgence is the bodily luster of Lord Caitanya, and the localized Supersoul situated in the heart of every living entity is His partial representation. The puruṣa-avatāras are also explained in this connection.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 2
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. vadantithey say
  2. tatthat
  3. tattva-vidaḥlearned souls
  4. tattvamthe Absolute Truth
  5. yatwhich
  6. jñānamknowledge
  7. advayamnondual
  8. brahmaBrahman
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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does realization of Bhagavān differ from realization of impersonal Brahman?

Practice

Write the three names of the Absolute Truth and note the approach or understanding associated with each.

Live this todayOne Absolute Truth, Three RealizationsThis 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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