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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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 5.77

বিষ্ণোস্তু ত্রীণি রূপাণি পুরুষাখ্যান্যথো বিদুঃ ।

একন্তু মহতঃ স্রষ্টৃ দ্বিতীয়ং ত্বণ্ডসংস্থিতম্‌ ।

তৃতীয়ং সর্বভূতস্থং তানি জ্ঞাত্বা বিমুচ্যতে ॥ ৭৭ ॥

viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi

puruṣākhyāny atho viduḥ

ekaṁ tu mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ

dvitīyaṁ tv aṇḍa-saṁsthitam

tṛtīyaṁ sarva-bhūta-sthaṁ

tāni jñātvā vimucyate

Translation

“Viṣṇu has three forms called puruṣas. The first, Mahā-Viṣṇu, is the creator of the total material energy [mahat], the second is Garbhodaśāyī, who is situated within each universe, and the third is Kṣīrodaśāyī, who lives in the heart of every living being. He who knows these three becomes liberated from the clutches of māyā.”

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Knowing the Three Puruṣas Brings Liberation

  1. 1

    Viṣṇu has three forms called puruṣas. The first, Mahā-Viṣṇu, creates the total material energy, called mahat.

  2. 2

    Garbhodaśāyī is situated within each universe, while Kṣīrodaśāyī lives in the heart of every living being.

  3. 3

    One who knows these three becomes liberated from the clutches of māyā. The purport identifies this statement as a quotation from the Sātvata-tantra appearing in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse appears in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (Pūrva 2.9), where it has been quoted from the Sātvata-tantra.

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:

By His internal potency, Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa maintains the transcendental existence of all the planets in the spiritual sky, where all the living beings are eternally liberated souls. The influence of the material energy is conspicuous there by its absence.
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. viṣṇoḥof Lord Viṣṇu
  2. tucertainly
  3. trīṇithree
  4. rūpāṇiforms
  5. puruṣa-ākhyānicelebrated as the puruṣa
  6. athohow
  7. viduḥthey know
  8. ekamone of them
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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the presence of Kṣīrodaśāyī in every living being’s heart invite you to reflect on?

Practice

Write the names of the three puruṣas and, beside each, the role or location given in the translation.

Live this todayKnowing the Three Puruṣas Brings LiberationThis 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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