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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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Ādi-līlā · 17 chapters

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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 5.220Ādi 5.222

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 5.221

যাঁর ধ্যান নিজ–লোকে করে পদ্মাসন ।

অষ্টাদশাক্ষর–মন্ত্রে করে উপাসন ॥ ২২১ ॥

yāṅra dhyāna nija-loke kare padmāsana

aṣṭādaśākṣara-mantre kare upāsana

Translation

Lord Brahmā, sitting on his lotus seat in his own abode, always meditates on Him and worships Him with the mantra consisting of eighteen syllables.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Worship Govinda Through Meditation and Chanting

  1. 1

    Lord Brahmā and the inhabitants of his planet worship Lord Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, with the eighteen-syllable mantra.

  2. 2

    Those initiated by a bona fide spiritual master who chant the Gāyatrī mantra three times daily know this mantra.

  3. 3

    There is no difference between meditating and chanting, but meditation is not possible on this planet in the present age. Therefore loud chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, along with soft chanting of the eighteen-syllable mantra, is recommended.

Key points from the purport
  • In his own planet, Lord Brahmā, with the inhabitants of that planet, worships the form of Lord Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, by the mantra of eighteen syllables, klīṁ kṛṣṇāya govindāya gopī-jana-vallabhāya svāhā.
  • The inhabitants of Brahmaloka and the planets below Brahmaloka worship Lord Govinda by meditating with this mantra.
  • Therefore loud chanting of a mantra like the mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, with soft chanting of the aṣṭādaśākṣara, the mantra of eighteen syllables, is recommended.

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:

Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu reclines in the midst of the watery portion of the universe and generates the first living creature of the universe, Brahmā. The imaginary universal form is a partial manifestation of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 5
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. yāṅraof whom
  2. dhyānathe meditation
  3. nija-lokein his own abode
  4. karedoes
  5. padma-āsanaLord Brahmā
  6. aṣṭādaśa-akṣara-mantreby the hymn composed of eighteen letters
  7. karedoes
  8. upāsanaworshiping
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Nāma-saṅkīrtana · The holy name shared together

    Chanting the holy names as the yuga-dharma, the Lord’s public movement, and the opening prayer of Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “chant”

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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can you give chanting a more regular place in your day?

Practice

Set aside a quiet moment today to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa aloud.

Live this todayWorship Govinda Through Meditation and ChantingThis 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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