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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 20.220Madhya 20.222

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.221

অস্ত্রধৃতি-ভেদ — নাম-ভেদের কারণ ।

চক্রাদি-ধারণ-ভেদ শুন, সনাতন ॥ ২২১ ॥

astra-dhṛti-bheda — nāma-bhedera kāraṇa

cakrādi-dhāraṇa-bheda śuna, sanātana

Translation

“My dear Sanātana, just hear from Me as I tell you how the different viṣṇu-mūrtis hold Their weapons, beginning with the disc, and how They are named differently according to the placement of the weapons in Their hands.

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.

Weapon Placement Distinguishes the Lord’s Names

  1. 1

    Sanātana is invited to hear how the different viṣṇu-mūrtis hold Their weapons.

  2. 2

    The explanation begins with the disc.

  3. 3

    The viṣṇu-mūrtis are named differently according to the placement of the weapons in Their hands.

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:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu called him in and ordered him to change his dress so that he would look like a gentleman. For his garment, he used an old cloth of Tapana Miśra’s.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. astra-dhṛtiof holding the weapons
  2. bhedadifference
  3. nāma-bhederaof differences of names
  4. kāraṇathe cause
  5. cakra-ādiof weapons, beginning with the disc
  6. dhāraṇaof holding
  7. bhedadifferences
  8. śunaplease hear
  9. sanātanaO Sanātana
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What detail am I being asked to notice when learning the names of the viṣṇu-mūrtis?

Practice

Write one reminder for your study: notice the placement of the weapons, beginning with the disc.

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 todayWeapon Placement Distinguishes the Lord’s NamesThis 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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