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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

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 20.252

অনন্তশক্তি-মধ্যে কৃষ্ণের তিন শক্তি প্রধান ।

‘ইচ্ছাশক্তি’, ‘জ্ঞানশক্তি’, ‘ক্রিয়াশক্তি’ নাম ॥ ২৫২ ॥

ananta-śakti-madhye kṛṣṇera tina śakti pradhāna

‘icchā-śakti’, ‘jñāna-śakti’, ‘kriyā-śakti’ nāma

Translation

“Kṛṣṇa has unlimited potencies, out of which three are chief — willpower, the power of knowledge and the creative energy.

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.

Three Chief Potencies Among Unlimited Potencies

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa has unlimited potencies.

  2. 2

    Among these unlimited potencies, three are chief.

  3. 3

    These three are willpower, the power of knowledge and the creative energy.

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:

At this time Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased with him, and thus Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī received knowledge of the Absolute Truth from the Lord Himself. 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ananta-śaktiof unlimited potencies
  2. madhyein the midst
  3. kṛṣṇeraof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  4. tinathree
  5. śaktipotencies
  6. pradhānaare chief
  7. icchā-śaktiwillpower
  8. jñāna-śaktithe power of knowledge
  9. kriyā-śaktithe creative energy
  10. nāmanamed
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does remembering that these three are only the chief potencies deepen your appreciation of Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited power?

Practice

Name the three chief potencies from memory, then check them against 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 todayThree Chief Potencies Among Unlimited PotenciesThis 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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