1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
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 20.259Madhya 20.261

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.260

জড় হৈতে সৃষ্টি নহে ঈশ্বরশক্তি বিনে ।

তাহাতেই সঙ্কর্ষণ করে শক্তির আধানে ॥ ২৬০ ॥

jaḍa haite sṛṣṭi nahe īśvara-śakti vine

tāhātei saṅkarṣaṇa kare śaktira ādhāne

Translation

“Without the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s energy, dull matter cannot create the cosmic manifestation. Its power does not arise from the material energy itself but is endowed by Saṅkarṣaṇa.

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.

Matter’s Creative Power Comes From Saṅkarṣaṇa

  1. 1

    Dull matter cannot create the cosmic manifestation without the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s energy.

  2. 2

    Its power does not arise from the material energy itself.

  3. 3

    That power is endowed by Saṅkarṣaṇa.

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:

Thus the Lord described the many forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He also described the incarnations of God within the material world, incarnations such as the puruṣa-avatāras, manvantara-avatāras, guṇa-avatāras and śaktyāveśa-avatāras.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. jaḍa haitefrom the dull material energy
  2. sṛṣṭi nahethe cosmic manifestation is not possible
  3. īśvara-śakti vinewithout the help of the energy of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead
  4. tāhāteiin the material energy
  5. saṅkarṣaṇaLord Saṅkarṣaṇa
  6. karedoes
  7. śaktiraof the spiritual energy
  8. ādhāneempowering
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this verse teach you about the source of matter’s creative power?

Practice

When you notice a material object today, pause to recall that matter’s creative power is endowed by Saṅkarṣaṇa.

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 todayMatter’s Creative Power Comes From SaṅkarṣaṇaThis 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 20.260? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters