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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 20.278Madhya 20.281

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Texts Madhya 20.279-280

গবাক্ষে উড়িয়া যৈছে রেণু আসে যায় ।

পুরুষ-নিশ্বাস-সহ ব্রহ্মাণ্ড বাহিরায় ॥ ২৭৯ ॥

gavākṣe uḍiyā yaiche reṇu āse yāya

puruṣa-niśvāsa-saha brahmāṇḍa bāhirāya

Translation

“These universes are understood to be floating in the air that Mahā-Viṣṇu exhales. They are like atomic particles that float in sunshine and pass through the holes of a screen. All these universes are thus created by the exhalation of Mahā-Viṣṇu, and when Mahā-Viṣṇu inhales, they re-enter His body. The unlimited opulences of Mahā-Viṣṇu are completely beyond material conception.

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.

Universes Appear and Return with His Breath

  1. 1

    The universes float in the air that Mahā-Viṣṇu exhales, like atomic particles floating in sunshine through the holes of a screen.

  2. 2

    All these universes are created by His exhalation. When He inhales, they re-enter His body.

  3. 3

    The unlimited opulences of Mahā-Viṣṇu are completely beyond material conception.

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. gavākṣefrom a hole at the top of a wall
  2. uḍiyāfloating
  3. yaicheas
  4. reṇuatomic particles
  5. āse yāyacome and go
  6. puruṣaniśvāsa-sahawith the exhaling of Mahā-Viṣṇu
  7. brahmāṇḍathe universes
  8. bāhirāyacome outside
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the comparison with particles in sunshine suggest about the greatness of Mahā-Viṣṇu?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute reflecting on the statement that Mahā-Viṣṇu’s opulences are beyond material conception.

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 todayUniverses Appear and Return with His BreathThis 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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