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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 20.254Madhya 20.256

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.255

ক্রিয়াশক্তিপ্রধান সঙ্কর্ষণ বলরাম ।

প্রাকৃতাপ্রাকৃত-সৃষ্টি করেন নির্মাণ ॥ ২৫৫ ॥

kriyā-śakti-pradhāna saṅkarṣaṇa balarāma

prākṛtāprākṛta-sṛṣṭi karena nirmāṇa

Translation

“Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa is Lord Balarāma. Being the predominator of the creative energy, He creates both the material and the spiritual world.

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.

Lord Balarāma Presides Over Creative Energy

  1. 1

    Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa is Lord Balarāma.

  2. 2

    He is the predominator of the creative energy.

  3. 3

    He creates both the material and the spiritual world.

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. kriyā-śakti-pradhānathe predominator of the creative energy
  2. saṅkarṣaṇaLord Saṅkarṣaṇa
  3. balarāmaLord Balarāma
  4. prākṛtamaterial
  5. aprākṛtaspiritual
  6. sṛṣṭiworlds
  7. karenadoes
  8. nirmāṇacreation
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this verse help you understand about Lord Balarāma’s role in creation?

Practice

Read the translation slowly, then recall who Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa is and what He creates.

4

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

2 lectures given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayLord Balarāma Presides Over Creative EnergyThis 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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