1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
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 ›
Madhya-līlā · Chapter 19: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī
Madhya 19.142Madhya 19.144

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 19.143

অপরিমিতা ধ্রুবাস্তনুভৃতো যদি সর্বগতা-

স্তর্হি ন শাস্যতেতি নিয়মো ধ্রুব নেতরথা ।

অজনি চ যন্ময়ং তদবিমুচ্য নিয়ন্তৃ ভবেৎ

সমমনুজানতাং যদমতং মতদুষ্টতয়া ॥ ১৪৩ ॥

aparimitā dhruvās tanu-bhṛto yadi sarva-gatās

tarhi na śāsyateti niyamo dhruva netarathā

ajani ca yan-mayaṁ tad avimucya niyantṛ bhavet

samam anujānatāṁ yad amataṁ mata-duṣṭatayā

Translation

“ ‘O Lord, although the living entities who have accepted material bodies are spiritual and unlimited in number, if they were all-pervading there would be no question of their being under Your control. If they are accepted, however, as particles of the eternally existing spiritual entity — as part of You, who are the supreme spirit whole — we must conclude that they are always under Your control. If the living entities are simply satisfied with being identical with You as spiritual particles, then they will be happy being controllers of so many things. The conclusion that the living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are one and the same is a faulty conclusion. It is not a fact.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Spiritual Particles Under the Lord’s Control

  1. 1

    The personified Vedas describe the living entities in material bodies as spiritual and unlimited in number, but not all-pervading.

  2. 2

    The living entities are particles of the eternally existing spiritual whole. They are always under the Lord’s control.

  3. 3

    Sharing spiritual nature does not make the living entities and the Supreme Personality of Godhead one and the same. The translation rejects that conclusion as faulty.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse, which is also from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.30), was spoken by the personified Vedas.

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 Madhya 19.143 quotesSB 10.87.30

This verse, which is also from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.87.30), was spoken by the personified Vedas.

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

Empowerment and hope. The seed of bhakti is received, planted, and watered; intimate realization becomes transmissible.

The mood of Madhya 19 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 19: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī

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

Kavirāja Gosvāmī then extensively describes the living condition of Śrī Rūpa and Sanātana at Vṛndāvana. During the ten days at Prayāga, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī was instructed by the Lord, who gave him the basic principles of the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 19
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. aparimitāḥunlimited in number
  2. dhruvāḥeternals
  3. tanu-bhṛtaḥwho have accepted material bodies
  4. yadiif
  5. sarva-gatāḥall-pervading
  6. tarhithen
  7. nanot
  8. śāsyatācontrollable
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where do I need to remember that being spiritual does not make me the supreme controller?

Practice

Pause during one activity today and reflect: “As a spiritual particle, I remain under the Lord’s control.”

Live this todaySpiritual Particles Under the Lord’s ControlThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 19.143? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters