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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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Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

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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 ›
Madhya-līlā · Chapter 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth
Madhya 20.158Madhya 20.160

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.159

ব্রহ্ম — অঙ্গকান্তি তাঁর, নির্বিশেষ প্রকাশে ।

সূর্য যেন চর্মচক্ষে জ্যোতির্ময় ভাসে ॥ ১৫৯ ॥

brahma — aṅga-kānti tāṅra, nirviśeṣa prakāśe

sūrya yena carma-cakṣe jyotirmaya bhāse

Translation

“The manifestation of the impersonal Brahman effulgence, which is without variety, is the rays of Kṛṣṇa’s bodily effulgence. It is exactly like the sun. When the sun is seen by our ordinary eyes, it appears to consist simply of effulgence.

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.

Brahman Is Kṛṣṇa’s Bodily Effulgence

  1. 1

    The impersonal Brahman effulgence is without variety.

  2. 2

    This effulgence consists of the rays of Kṛṣṇa’s bodily effulgence.

  3. 3

    The comparison is to the sun, which appears to ordinary eyes to consist simply of effulgence.

How it feels

Humility and restored identity. A seeker relinquishes status, asks fundamental questions, and receives sambandha knowledge.

The mood of Madhya 20 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth

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

While discussing the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Lord analyzed Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān, as well as the expansions of the Lord called svayaṁ-rūpa, tad-ekātma and āveśa, which are divided into various branches known as vaibhava and prābhava. Thus the Lord described the many forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. brahmathe impersonal Brahman effulgence
  2. aṅga-kāntithe bodily rays
  3. tāṅraof Him
  4. nirviśeṣawithout varieties
  5. prakāśemanifestation
  6. sūrya yenaexactly like the sun
  7. carma-cakṣewith our ordinary material eyes
  8. jyotiḥ-mayasimply effulgent
  9. bhāseappears
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the sun comparison help you understand Brahman’s relationship to Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read the sun comparison once more, then state in your own words where the Brahman effulgence comes from.

4

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayBrahman Is Kṛṣṇa’s Bodily EffulgenceThis 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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