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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 ›
Madhya-līlā · Chapter 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth
Madhya 20.167Madhya 20.169

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.168

মহিষী-বিবাহে হৈল বহুবিধ মূর্তি ।

‘প্রাভব প্রকাশ’ — এই শাস্ত্র-পরসিদ্ধি ॥ ১৬৮ ॥

mahiṣī-vivāhe haila bahu-vidha mūrti

‘prābhava prakāśa’ — ei śāstra-parasiddhi

Translation

“When the Lord married 16,108 wives at Dvārakā, He expanded Himself into many forms. These expansions and the expansions at the rāsa dance are called prābhava-prakāśa, according to the directions of revealed scriptures.

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.

Scriptures Identify the Prābhava-prakāśa Expansions

  1. 1

    When the Lord married 16,108 wives at Dvārakā, He expanded Himself into many forms.

  2. 2

    These forms and His expansions at the rāsa dance are called prābhava-prakāśa.

  3. 3

    This identification follows the directions of revealed scriptures.

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. mahiṣī-vivāhein the matter of marrying 16,108 wives at Dvārakā
  2. hailathere were
  3. bahu-vidha mūrtimany forms
  4. prābhava prakāśacalled prābhava-prakāśa
  5. eithis
  6. śāstra-parasiddhidetermined by reference to the revealed scriptures
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Bhāva & rasa · The language of sacred feeling

    Transcendental devotional moods and relationships, discussed explicitly in Rāmānanda’s dialogue and the teachings on prema. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “rāsa”

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

Why is it helpful to learn the names of the Lord’s expansions from revealed scriptures?

Practice

Make a short study note listing the two examples of prābhava-prakāśa given here.

5

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 todayScriptures Identify the Prābhava-prakāśa ExpansionsThis 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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