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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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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 2.69Ādi 2.71

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 2.70

অবতার সব—পুরুষের কলা, অংশ ।

স্বয়ং–ভগবান্‌ কৃষ্ণ সর্ব–অবতংস ॥ ৭০ ॥

avatāra saba — puruṣera kalā, aṁśa

svayaṁ-bhagavān kṛṣṇa sarva-avataṁsa

Translation

All the incarnations of Godhead are plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions of the puruṣa-avatāras, but the primeval Lord is Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the fountainhead of all incarnations.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Is the Fountainhead of All Incarnations

  1. 1

    The incarnations of Godhead are plenary portions or parts of the plenary portions of the puruṣa-avatāras.

  2. 2

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the primeval Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    He is the fountainhead of all incarnations, not merely another incarnation.

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:

Mahā-Viṣṇu is the reservoir of all conditioned souls, but, as confirmed in the authoritative scriptures, Lord Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate fountainhead, the source of numerous plenary expansions, including Nārāyaṇa, who is generally accepted by Māyāvādī philosophers to be the Absolute Truth. The Lord’s manifestation of prābhava and vaibhava expansions, as well as partial incarnations and incarnations with delegated powers, are also explained.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 2
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. avatārathe incarnations
  2. sabaall
  3. puruṣeraof the puruṣa-avatāras
  4. kalāparts of plenary portions
  5. aṁśaplenary portions
  6. svayamHimself
  7. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  8. kṛṣṇaLord Kṛṣṇa
  9. sarvaof all
  10. avataṁsacrest
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the word “fountainhead” deepen my understanding of Śrī Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Write and reflect on this sentence: “Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the fountainhead of all incarnations.”

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is the Fountainhead of All IncarnationsThis 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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