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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 2: Śri Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
Ādi 2.20Ādi 2.22

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 2.21

তমিমমহমজং শরীরভাজাং

হৃদি হৃদি ধিষ্ঠিতমাত্মকল্পিতানাম্‌ ।

প্রতিদৃশমিব নৈকধার্কমেকং

সমধিগতোঽস্মি বিধূতভেদমোহঃ ॥ ২১ ॥

tam imam aham ajaṁ śarīra-bhājāṁ

hṛdi hṛdi dhiṣṭhitam ātma-kalpitānām

prati-dṛśam iva naikadhārkam ekaṁ

samadhigato ’smi vidhūta-bheda-mohaḥ

Translation

[Grandfather Bhīṣma said:] “As the one sun appears differently situated to different seers, so also do You, the unborn, appear differently represented as the Paramātmā in every living being. But when a seer knows himself to be one of Your own servitors, no longer does he maintain such duality. Thus I am now able to comprehend Your eternal forms, knowing well the Paramātmā to be only Your plenary portion.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Knowing Oneself as the Lord’s Servitor

  1. 1

    Bhīṣma compares the Paramātmā in every living being to one sun seen in different places. The Lord is unborn, though He appears differently represented.

  2. 2

    A seer who knows himself as the Lord’s own servitor no longer maintains such duality. Bhīṣma recognizes the Paramātmā as only the Lord’s plenary portion.

  3. 3

    Bhīṣma spoke these words at the final moment of his life, while looking at Lord Kṛṣṇa. He was lying on a bed of arrows, surrounded by relatives, friends and sages.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.9.42) was spoken by Bhīṣmadeva, the grandfather of the Kurus, when he was lying on a bed of arrows at the last stage of his life.
  • Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa and numberless friends, admirers, relatives and sages had gathered on the scene as Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira took moral and religious instructions from the dying Bhīṣma.
  • Just as the final moment arrived for him, Bhīṣma spoke this verse while looking at Lord Kṛṣṇa.

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 2.21 quotesSB 1.9.42

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.9.42) was spoken by Bhīṣmadeva, the grandfather of the Kurus, when he was lying on a bed of arrows at the last stage of his life.

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

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. tamHim
  2. imamthis
  3. ahamI
  4. ajamthe unborn
  5. śarīra-bhājāmof the conditioned souls endowed with bodies
  6. hṛdi hṛdiin each of the hearts
  7. dhiṣṭhitamsituated
  8. ātmaby themselves
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might knowing myself as the Lord’s servitor shape my attitude today?

Practice

Pause before one task today and reflect, “I am the Lord’s servitor.”

Live this todayKnowing Oneself as the Lord’s ServitorThis 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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