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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 20.187Madhya 20.189

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.188

বৈভবপ্রকাশে আর প্রাভববিলাসে ।

একই মূর্ত্যে বলদেব ভাব-ভেদে ভাসে ॥ ১৮৮ ॥

vaibhava-prakāśe āra prābhava-vilāse

eka-i mūrtye baladeva bhāva-bhede bhāse

Translation

“Śrī Balarāma is a vaibhava-prakāśa manifestation of Kṛṣṇa. He is also manifested in the original quadruple expansions of Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. These are prābhava-vilāsa expansions with different emotions.

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.

Balarāma and the Original Quadruple Expansions

  1. 1

    Śrī Balarāma is a vaibhava-prakāśa manifestation of Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    He is also manifested in the original quadruple expansions: Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha.

  3. 3

    These quadruple forms are prābhava-vilāsa expansions with different emotions.

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. vaibhava-prakāśein vaibhava manifestation
  2. āraand
  3. prābhava-vilāsein the prābhava pastime form
  4. eka-i mūrtyein one form
  5. baladevaLord Baladeva
  6. bhāva-bhedeaccording to different emotions
  7. bhāseexists
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this verse distinguish Balarāma’s manifestation from the original quadruple expansions?

Practice

Write two lines pairing Śrī Balarāma with vaibhava-prakāśa and the original quadruple expansions with prābhava-vilāsa.

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 todayBalarāma and the Original Quadruple 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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