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Study a Verse

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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.251

বিষ্ণোস্তু ত্রীণি রূপাণি পুরুষাখ্যান্যথো বিদুঃ ।

একন্তু মহতঃ স্রষ্টৃ দ্বিতীয়ং ত্বণ্ডসংস্থিতম্ ।

তৃতীয়ং সর্বভূতস্থং তানি জ্ঞাত্বা বিমুচ্যতে ॥ ২৫১ ॥

viṣṇos tu trīṇi rūpāṇi

puruṣākhyāny atho viduḥ

ekaṁ tu mahataḥ sraṣṭṛ

dvitīyaṁ tv aṇḍa-saṁsthitam

tṛtīyaṁ sarva-bhūta-sthaṁ

tāni jñātvā vimucyate

Translation

“ ‘Viṣṇu has three forms called puruṣas. The first, Mahā-Viṣṇu, is the creator of the total material energy [mahat], the second is Garbhodaśāyī, who is situated within each universe, and the third is Kṣīrodaśāyī, who lives in the heart of every living being. He who knows these three becomes liberated from the clutches of māyā.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Knowing the Three Puruṣas Brings Liberation

  1. 1

    The first puruṣa, Mahā-Viṣṇu, creates the total material energy, called mahat.

  2. 2

    The second, Garbhodaśāyī, is situated within each universe. The third, Kṣīrodaśāyī, lives in the heart of every living being.

  3. 3

    One who knows these three becomes liberated from the clutches of māyā. The purport traces this quotation through the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta to the Sātvata-tantra.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse appears in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (Pūrva-khaṇḍa 2.9), where it has been quoted from the Sātvata-tantra.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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:

First they discussed the constitutional position of the living entities, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī how the living entity is one of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s energies. After this, the Lord explained the way of devotional service.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
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Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. viṣṇoḥof Lord Viṣṇu
  2. tucertainly
  3. trīṇithree
  4. rūpāṇiforms
  5. puruṣa-ākhyānicelebrated as the puruṣas
  6. athohow
  7. viduḥthey know
  8. ekamone of them
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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does knowing that Kṣīrodaśāyī lives in every living being’s heart invite you to reflect on?

Practice

Write the names of the three puruṣas and, beside each, the role or location given in the translation.

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 todayKnowing the Three Puruṣas Brings LiberationThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 20.251? Get an answer from the verses themselves.