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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 5: The Glories Of Lord Nityānanda Balarāma
Ādi 5.99Ādi 5.102

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Ādi 5.100-101

অনন্তশয্যাতে তাঁহা করিল শয়ন ।

সহস্র মস্তক তাঁর সহস্র বদন ॥ ১০০ ॥

সহস্র–চরন–হস্ত, সহস্র–নয়ন ।

সর্ব–অবতার–বীজ, জগৎ–কারণ ॥ ১০১ ॥

ananta-śayyāte tāṅhā karila śayana

sahasra mastaka tāṅra sahasra vadana

Translation

He lay there with Ananta as His bed. Lord Ananta is a divine serpent having thousands of heads, thousands of faces, thousands of eyes and thousands of hands and feet. He is the seed of all incarnations and is the cause of the material world.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Ananta Serves as the Lord’s Bed

  1. 1

    The Lord lies in a reservoir of water first created by the perspiration of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.

  2. 2

    His bed is Śeṣa, a plenary expansion of Viṣṇu. Lord Ananta is a divine serpent with thousands of heads, faces, eyes, hands and feet.

  3. 3

    The translation describes Him as the seed of all incarnations and the cause of the material world.

Key points from the purport
  • In the reservoir of water first created by the perspiration of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the Lord lies on the Śeṣa plenary expansion of Viṣṇu, who is described in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and in the four Vedas as follows:

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

Shelter and wonder. The glory of Nityānanda reveals the intimate support behind the descent.

The mood of Ādi 5 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 5: The Glories Of Lord Nityānanda Balarāma

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

Therefore the material energy is not the original cause of the material manifestation. Rather, the transcendental glance of Mahā-Viṣṇu over material nature produces that cosmic manifestation.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 5
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ananta-śayyāteon Lord Ananta as a bed
  2. tāṅhāthere
  3. karila śayanalay down
  4. sahasrathousands
  5. mastakaheads
  6. tāṅraHis
  7. sahasra vadanathousands of faces
  8. sahasrathousands
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does Ananta’s description invite you to reflect on about His divine nature?

Practice

Reread the description of Ananta and write down one feature you want to remember.

Live this todayAnanta Serves as the Lord’s BedThis 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 5.100-101? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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