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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 20.258Madhya 20.260

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.259

মায়া-দ্বারে সৃজে তেঁহো ব্রহ্মাণ্ডের গণ ।

জড়রূপা প্রকৃতি নহে ব্রহ্মাণ্ড-কারণ ॥ ২৫৯ ॥

māyā-dvāre sṛje teṅho brahmāṇḍera gaṇa

jaḍa-rūpā prakṛti nahe brahmāṇḍa-kāraṇa

Translation

“By the agency of the material energy, this same Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa creates all the universes. The dull material energy — known in modern language as nature — is not the cause of the material universe.

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.

Saṅkarṣaṇa Creates Through the Material Energy

  1. 1

    Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa creates all the universes.

  2. 2

    He does so by the agency of the material energy.

  3. 3

    The dull material energy, called nature in modern language, is not the cause of the material universe.

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:

While discussing the Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Lord analyzed Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān, as well as the expansions of the Lord called svayaṁ-rūpa, tad-ekātma and āveśa, which are divided into various branches known as vaibhava and prābhava. Thus the Lord described the many forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. māyā-dvāreby the agency of the external energy
  2. sṛjecreates
  3. teṅhoLord Saṅkarṣaṇa
  4. brahmāṇḍera gaṇaall the groups of universes
  5. jaḍa-rūpāappearing dull
  6. prakṛtithe material energy
  7. naheis not
  8. brahmāṇḍa-kāraṇathe cause of the cosmic manifestation
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this verse distinguish the creator from the energy used in creation?

Practice

Write a short sentence distinguishing Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa’s role from that of material nature.

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 todaySaṅkarṣaṇa Creates Through the Material 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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