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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 7: Lord Caitanya in Five Features
Ādi 7.129Ādi 7.131

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 7.130

‘প্রণব, মহাবাক্য—তাহা করি’ আচ্ছাদন ।

মহাবাক্যে করি ‘তত্ত্বমসি’র স্থাপন ॥ ১৩০ ॥

‘praṇava’, mahā-vākya — tāhā kari’ ācchādana

mahāvākye kari ‘tat tvam asi’ra sthāpana

Translation

“Praṇava [oṁkāra] is the mahā-vākya [mahā-mantra] in the Vedas. Śaṅkarācārya’s followers cover this to stress without authority the mantra tat tvam asi.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize the Vedas’ Principal Mantra

  1. 1

    Praṇava, or oṁkāra, is the mahā-vākya, or mahā-mantra, in the Vedas.

  2. 2

    The Māyāvādī philosophers stress tat tvam asi and so’ham rather than the real mahā-mantra, oṁkāra. The translation describes this emphasis as unauthorized.

  3. 3

    The purport calls this a misrepresentation of Vedic knowledge. Caitanya Mahāprabhu identifies the Māyāvādī philosophers as the greatest offenders to Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • The Māyāvādī philosophers stress the statements tat tvam asi, so’ham, etc., but they do not stress the real mahā-mantra, praṇava (oṁkāra).
  • Therefore, because they misrepresent Vedic knowledge, they are the greatest offenders to the lotus feet of the Lord.
  • Caitanya Mahāprabhu says clearly, māyāvādī kṛṣṇe aparādhī: “Māyāvādī philosophers are the greatest offenders to Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

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

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. praṇavaoṁkāra
  2. mahā-vākyaprincipal mantra
  3. tāhāthat
  4. kari’making
  5. ācchādanacovered
  6. mahā-vākyein place of the principal mantra
  7. kariI do
  8. ‘tat tvam asi’ra sthāpanaestablishment of the statement tat tvam asi
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Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Kīrtana community · A movement of shared hearts

    Devotional community as a living network of branches, service, festivals, care, and collective chanting. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “followers”

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

How can this warning encourage you to represent Vedic teachings faithfully?

Practice

Reread the translation and note which mantra it identifies as the mahā-mantra.

Live this todayRecognize the Vedas’ Principal MantraThis 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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