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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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Ādi-līlā · 17 chapters

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 6.97

এ–সবাকে শাস্ত্রে কহে ‘ভক্ত–অবতার’ ।

‘ভক্ত–অবতার’–পদ উপরি সবার ॥ ৯৭ ॥

e-sabāke śāstre kahe ‘bhakta-avatāra’

‘bhakta-avatāra’-pada upari sabāra

Translation

The scriptures call them incarnations as devotees [bhakta-avatāra]. The position of being such an incarnation is above all others.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Appearance as a Devotee

  1. 1

    The scriptures call these incarnations bhakta-avatāra, incarnations as devotees. This position is above all others.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s appearance as a devotee is more beneficial to conditioned souls than His other incarnations with all their opulences. Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared as Lord Caitanya without showing much opulence, so fewer conditioned souls were bewildered.

  3. 3

    False egoism leads conditioned souls to misunderstand the Lord and try to become one with Him. The purport warns that falsely considering oneself an incarnation brings punishment in lower species of life.

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in different incarnations, but His appearance in the role of a devotee is more beneficial to the conditioned souls than the other incarnations, with all their opulences.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared and performed many uncommon activities, and some materialists misunderstood Him, but in His appearance as Lord Caitanya He did not show much of His opulences, and therefore fewer conditioned souls were bewildered.
  • Conditioned souls who are puffed up by false egoism and who try to become one with the Supreme Lord become Māyāvādīs.

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

Devotional appeal. The glory of Advaita frames service as the deepest form of greatness.

The mood of Ādi 6 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 6: The Glories of Śrī Advaita Ācārya

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

That Advaita, the superintendent of the cosmic manifestation, has descended in the form of Advaita Ācārya to associate with Lord Caitanya. When He is addressed as the servitor of Lord Caitanya, His glories are magnified because unless one is invigorated by this mentality of servitorship one cannot understand the mellows derived from devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 6
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. e-sabākeall of them
  2. śāstrethe scriptures
  3. kahesay
  4. bhakta-avatāraincarnations as devotees
  5. bhakta-avatāraof such an incarnation as a devotee
  6. padathe position
  7. upari sabāraabove all other positions
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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can you approach the Lord’s appearance as a devotee with greater humility?

Practice

Reread the explanation of Lord Caitanya’s appearance and note how it benefits conditioned souls.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Appearance as a DevoteeThis 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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