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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 5.119Ādi 5.121

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 5.120

সেই ত’ ‘অনন্ত’ ‘শেষ’—ভক্ত–অবতার ।

ঈশ্বরের সেবা বিনা নাহি জানে আর ॥ ১২০ ॥

sei ta’ ‘ananta’ ‘śeṣa’ — bhakta-avatāra

īśvarera sevā vinā nāhi jāne āra

Translation

That Ananta Śeṣa is the devotee incarnation of Godhead. He knows nothing but service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Ananta Śeṣa Knows Only Service to Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Ananta Śeṣa is the devotee incarnation of Godhead. He knows nothing but service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    Śrī Anantadeva has thousands of faces and is fully independent. Always ready to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He waits upon Him constantly.

  3. 3

    Saṅkarṣaṇa is the first expansion of Vāsudeva and appears by His own will. Infinite and beyond all limits of time and space, He appears as the thousand-headed Śeṣa.

Key points from the purport
  • After thus dispatching Lakṣmaṇa to the regions of Pātāla, Lord Indra returned to his abode.
  • When Lord Rāma disappears, Śeṣa again separates Himself from the personality of Lakṣmaṇa.
  • Śeṣa then returns to His own abode in the Pātāla regions, and Lakṣmaṇa returns to His abode in Vaikuṇṭha.

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:

In the Śvetadvīpa within every universe is a Śeṣa form of Godhead who serves Viṣṇu by assuming the form of His umbrella, slippers, couch, pillows, garments, residence, sacred thread, throne and so on. Lord Baladeva in Kṛṣṇaloka is Nityānanda Prabhu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 5
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. sei ta’that
  2. anantaLord Ananta
  3. śeṣathe incarnation Śeṣa
  4. bhakta-avatāraincarnation of a devotee
  5. īśvarera sevāthe service of the Lord
  6. vināwithout
  7. nāhinot
  8. jāneknows
  9. āraanything else
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Sevā · Love translated into service

    Devotional service expressed through cleansing, caring, teaching, honoring others, and living as Kṛṣṇa’s servant. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “service”, “serve”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can Ananta Śeṣa’s constant readiness to serve inspire your own service to Lord Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Choose one small act of service to Lord Kṛṣṇa and carry it out attentively today.

Live this todayAnanta Śeṣa Knows Only Service to KṛṣṇaThis 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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