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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 5.83Ādi 5.85

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 5.84

জগৃহে পৌরুষং রূপং ভগবান্মহদাদিভিঃ ।

সম্ভূতং ষোড়শকলমাদৌ লোকসিসৃক্ষয়া ॥ ৮৪ ॥

jagṛhe pauruṣaṁ rūpaṁ

bhagavān mahad-ādibhiḥ

sambhūtaṁ ṣoḍaśa-kalam

ādau loka-sisṛkṣayā

Translation

“In the beginning of the creation, the Lord expanded Himself in the form of the puruṣa incarnation, accompanied by all the ingredients of material creation. First He created the sixteen principal energies suitable for creation. This was for the purpose of manifesting the material universes.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Acts Through His Energies

  1. 1

    At the beginning of creation, the Lord expanded Himself as the puruṣa incarnation, accompanied by the ingredients of material creation.

  2. 2

    He first created sixteen principal energies suitable for manifesting the material universes.

  3. 3

    The purport describes spiritual energies by several lists of names. All these energies act in different spheres of the Lord’s supremacy.

Key points from the purport
  • The commentary of Madhva on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam mentions that the following sixteen spiritual energies are present in the spiritual world: (1) śrī, (2) bhū, (3) līlā, (4) kānti, (5) kīrti, (6) tuṣṭi, (7) gīr, (8) puṣṭi, (9) satyā (10) jñānājñānā, (11) jayā utkarṣiṇī, (12) vimalā, (13) yogamāyā, (14) prahvī, (15) īśānā and (16) anugrahā.
  • In his commentary on the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta, Śrī Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa has said that the above energies are also known by nine names: (1) vimalā, (2) utkarṣiṇī (3) jñānā, (4) kriyā, (5) yogā, (6) prahvī, (7) satyā, (8) īśānā and (9) anugrahā.
  • In the Bhagavat-sandarbha of Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī (text 117) they are described as śrī, puṣṭi, gīr, kānti, kīrti, tuṣṭi, ilā, jayā; vidyāvidyā, māyā, samvit, sandhinī, hlādinī, bhakti, mūrti, vimalā, yogā, prahvī, īśānā, anugrahā, etc. All these energies act in different spheres of the Lord’s supremacy.

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 5.84 quotesSB 1.3.1

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.3.1).

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:

On each Vaikuṇṭha planet a four-handed Nārāyaṇa, expanded from the first quadruple manifestation, is present. The Personality of Godhead known as Śrī Balarāma in Kṛṣṇaloka is the original Saṅkarṣaṇa (attracting Deity), and from this Saṅkarṣaṇa expands another Saṅkarṣaṇa, called Mahā-saṅkarṣaṇa, who resides in one of the Vaikuṇṭha planets.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 5
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. jagṛheaccepted
  2. pauruṣamthe puruṣa incarnation
  3. rūpamthe form
  4. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. mahat-ādibhiḥby the total material energy etc.
  6. sambhūtamcreated
  7. ṣoḍaśasixteen
  8. kalamenergies
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the variety of the Lord’s energies help you appreciate about His supremacy?

Practice

Choose one energy named in the purport, copy its name carefully, and reread the statement that all these energies serve different spheres of the Lord’s supremacy.

Live this todayThe Lord Acts Through His EnergiesThis 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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