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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 7.125

তথাপি অচিন্ত্যশক্ত্যে হয় অবিকারী ।

প্রাকৃত চিন্তামণি তাহে দৃষ্টান্ত যে ধরি ॥ ১২৫ ॥

tathāpi acintya-śaktye haya avikārī

prākṛta cintāmaṇi tāhe dṛṣṭānta ye dhari

Translation

“Using the example of a touchstone, which by its energy turns iron to gold and yet remains the same, we can understand that although the Supreme Personality of Godhead transforms His innumerable energies, He remains unchanged.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Energies Transform; the Supreme Remains Unchanged

  1. 1

    A touchstone turns iron into gold by its energy.

  2. 2

    Although it brings about this transformation, the touchstone itself remains the same.

  3. 3

    This example helps us understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead remains unchanged while transforming His innumerable energies.

How it feels

Collective delight. The Pañca-tattva gives divine love a relational and communal form.

The mood of Ādi 7 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 7: Lord Caitanya in Five Features

Back to this verse in Ādi 7
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. tathāpiyet
  2. acintya-śaktyeby inconceivable potency
  3. hayaremains
  4. avikārīwithout change
  5. prākṛtamaterial
  6. cintāmaṇitouchstone
  7. tāhein that respect
  8. dṛṣṭāntaexample
  9. yewhich
  10. dhariwe accept
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the touchstone example help me distinguish the Lord from the transformations of His energies?

Practice

Explain the touchstone example aloud in two sentences, including how it illustrates the Lord remaining unchanged.

Live this todayEnergies Transform; the Supreme Remains UnchangedThis 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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