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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 5.71Ādi 5.73

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 5.72

ক্কাহং তমো–মহদহং–খ–চরাগ্নিবার্ভূ–

সংবেষ্টিতাণ্ডঘট–সপ্তবিতস্তিকায়ঃ ।

ক্কেদৃগ্বিধাঽবিগণিতাণ্ডপরাণুচর্যা–

বাতাধ্বরোমবিবরস্য চ তে মহিত্বম্‌ ॥ ৭২ ॥

kvāhaṁ tamo-mahad-ahaṁ-kha-carāgni-vār-bhū-

saṁveṣṭitāṇḍa-ghaṭa-sapta-vitasti-kāyaḥ

kvedṛg-vidhāvigaṇitāṇḍa-parāṇu-caryā-

vātādhva-roma-vivarasya ca te mahitvam

Translation

“Where am I, a small creature of seven spans the measure of my own hand? I am enclosed in the universe composed of material nature, the total material energy, false ego, ether, air, water and earth. And what is Your glory? Unlimited universes pass through the pores of Your body just like particles of dust passing through the opening of a window.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize Our Smallness Before God

  1. 1

    Lord Brahmā offered this prayer in defeat after seeing Kṛṣṇa still surrounded by the calves and cowherd boys he had stolen.

  2. 2

    Even Brahmā, who manages the entire universe, cannot compare to the Personality of Godhead. The Lord produces numberless universes through spiritual rays emanating from His bodily pores.

  3. 3

    Brahmā’s prayers teach our insignificance in comparison to God. They offer much to learn for those falsely proud of their accumulated power.

Key points from the purport
  • When Lord Brahmā, after having stolen all Kṛṣṇa’s calves and cowherd boys, returned and saw that the calves and boys were still roaming with Kṛṣṇa, he offered this prayer (Bhāg. 10.14.11) in his defeat.
  • A conditioned soul, even one so great as Brahmā, who manages the affairs of the entire universe, cannot compare to the Personality of Godhead, for He can produce numberless universes simply by the spiritual rays emanating from the pores of His body.
  • In these prayers of Brahmā there is much to learn for those who are falsely puffed up by the accumulation of power.

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 5.72 quotesSB 10.14.11

When Lord Brahmā, after having stolen all Kṛṣṇa’s calves and cowherd boys, returned and saw that the calves and boys were still roaming with Kṛṣṇa, he offered this prayer in his defeat.

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

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:

Mahā-Viṣṇu places His glance over the material energy, and by a reflection of His transcendental body He amalgamates Himself within the material elements. As the source of the material elements, the material energy is known as pradhāna, and as the source of the manifestations of the material energy it is known as māyā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 5
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. kvawhere
  2. ahamI
  3. tamaḥmaterial nature
  4. mahatthe total material energy
  5. ahamfalse ego
  6. khaether
  7. caraair
  8. agnifire
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: “offered”

  • Vraja-smaraṇa · Remembrance of Vṛndāvana

    The remembered sweetness of Vraja that colors Mahāprabhu’s pilgrimage, Ratha-yātrā, and later states of separation. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “cowherd”

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

Where might pride in my own abilities keep me from recognizing my smallness before God?

Practice

Recall one ability or responsibility you feel proud of, and pause to remember Brahmā’s humility before Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayRecognize Our Smallness Before GodThis 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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