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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 20.244Madhya 20.246

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.245

অবতার হয় কৃষ্ণের ষড়্‌বিধ প্রকার ।

পুরুষাবতার এক, লীলাবতার আর ॥ ২৪৫ ॥

avatāra haya kṛṣṇera ṣaḍ-vidha prakāra

puruṣāvatāra eka, līlāvatāra āra

Translation

“There are six types of incarnations [avatāras] of Kṛṣṇa. One comprises the incarnations of Viṣṇu [puruṣa-avatāras], and another comprises the incarnations meant for the performance of pastimes [līlā-avatāras].

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.

Kṛṣṇa Has Six Types of Incarnations

  1. 1

    There are six types of incarnations, or avatāras, of Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    One type comprises the incarnations of Viṣṇu, called puruṣa-avatāras.

  3. 3

    Another type comprises incarnations meant for the performance of pastimes, called līlā-avatāras.

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:

He also described the incarnations of God within the material world, incarnations such as the puruṣa-avatāras, manvantara-avatāras, guṇa-avatāras and śaktyāveśa-avatāras. The Lord also discussed the divisions of Kṛṣṇa’s different ages, such as bālya and paugaṇḍa, and the different pastimes of the different ages.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. avatāraincarnations
  2. hayathere are
  3. kṛṣṇeraof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  4. ṣaṭ-vidha prakārasix kinds
  5. puruṣa-avatāraincarnations of Viṣṇu
  6. ekaone
  7. līlā-avatāraincarnations for the execution of pastimes
  8. āraalso
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Can I distinguish the two types of incarnations named in this verse?

Practice

Write the two types named here and their descriptions, noting that they belong to a total of six types.

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 todayKṛṣṇa Has Six Types of IncarnationsThis 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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