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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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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 20.272Madhya 20.274

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.273

স্বাঙ্গ-বিশেষাভাসরূপে প্রকৃতি-স্পর্শন ।

জীব-রূপ ‘বীজ’ তাতে কৈলা সমর্পণ ॥ ২৭৩ ॥

svāṅga-viśeṣābhāsa-rūpe prakṛti-sparśana

jīva-rūpa ‘bīja’ tāte kailā samarpaṇa

Translation

“To impregnate with the seeds of the living entities, the Lord Himself does not directly touch the material energy, but by His specific functional expansion He touches the material energy, and thus the living entities, who are His parts and parcels, are impregnated into material nature.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Acts Through His Expansion

  1. 1

    The Lord Himself does not directly touch the material energy to impregnate her with the seeds of the living entities.

  2. 2

    He touches the material energy through His specific functional expansion.

  3. 3

    The living entities are His parts and parcels. Through His expansion, they are placed within material nature.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of CC Madhya 20.273 quotesBG 15.7

According to Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.7):

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. sva-aṅga-viśeṣa-ābhāsa-rūpein the form of a specific shadow from His personal body
  2. prakṛti-sparśanathe Lord glances over the material nature
  3. jīva-rūpahaving the form of the sparklike living entities, who are parts and parcels
  4. bījasemen
  5. tātein that material nature
  6. kailā samarpaṇaimpregnated
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does being a part and parcel of the Lord mean for how you see yourself?

Practice

Write one sentence today recalling that you are a part and parcel of the Lord.

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 todayThe Lord Acts Through His ExpansionThis 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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