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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

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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 20.266Madhya 20.268

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.267

আদ্যোঽবতারঃ পুরুষঃ পরস্য কালঃ স্বভাবঃ সদসন্মনশ্চ ।

দ্রব্যং বিকারো গুণ ইন্দ্রিয়াণি বিরাট্ স্বরাট্ স্থাস্নু চরিষ্ণু ভূম্নঃ ॥ ২৬৭ ॥

ādyo ’vatāraḥ puruṣaḥ parasya

kālaḥ svabhāvaḥ sad-asan manaś ca

dravyaṁ vikāro guṇa indriyāṇi

virāṭ svarāṭ sthāsnu cariṣṇu bhūmnaḥ

Translation

“ ‘Kāraṇābdhiśāyī Viṣṇu [Mahā-Viṣṇu] is the first incarnation of the Supreme Lord, and He is the master of eternal time, space, cause and effects, the mind, the elements, the material ego, the modes of nature, the senses, the universal form of the Lord, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and the sum total of all living beings, both moving and nonmoving.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Mahā-Viṣṇu Is Master of Material Creation

  1. 1

    Kāraṇābdhiśāyī Viṣṇu, or Mahā-Viṣṇu, is the first incarnation of the Supreme Lord.

  2. 2

    He is the master of eternal time, space, cause and effects, the mind, the elements, the material ego, the modes of nature, and the senses.

  3. 3

    He is also the master of the universal form of the Lord, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, and all living beings, both moving and nonmoving.

Key points from the purport
  • For an explanation, refer to Ādi-līlā, chapter five, verse 83.

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

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 20.267 quotesSB 2.6.42

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.6.42).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ādyaḥ avatāraḥthe original incarnation
  2. puruṣaḥKāraṇābdhiśāyī Viṣṇu
  3. parasyaof the Supreme Lord
  4. kālaḥtime
  5. svabhāvaḥspace
  6. sat-asatcause and effect
  7. manaḥ caas well as the mind
  8. dravyamthe five elements
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the breadth of this list help you appreciate about Mahā-Viṣṇu?

Practice

Choose three items from the verse’s list and pause to remember Mahā-Viṣṇu as their master.

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 todayMahā-Viṣṇu Is Master of Material CreationThis 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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