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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 20.307Madhya 20.309

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.308

মায়াসঙ্গ-বিকারী রুদ্র — ভিন্নাভিন্ন রূপ ।

জীবতত্ত্ব নহে, নহে কৃষ্ণের ‘স্বরূপ’ ॥ ৩০৮ ॥

māyā-saṅga-vikārī rudra — bhinnābhinna rūpa

jīva-tattva nahe, nahe kṛṣṇera ‘svarūpa’

Translation

“Rudra, Lord Śiva, has various forms, which are transformations brought about by association with māyā. Although Rudra is not on a level with the jīva-tattvas, he still cannot be considered a personal expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Rudra Is Simultaneously One and Different

  1. 1

    Rudra’s various forms are transformations brought about by association with māyā.

  2. 2

    Rudra is not on the level of the jīva-tattvas, yet he cannot be considered a personal expansion of Kṛṣṇa in the same way as the viṣṇu-tattva.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that Rudra is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa’s personal form, yet differs from the viṣṇu-tattva through association with māyā. This simultaneous oneness and difference is called bhedābheda-tattva or acintya-bhedābheda-tattva.

Key points from the purport
  • Rudra is simultaneously one with and different from the viṣṇu-tattva.
  • Due to his association with māyā, he is different from the viṣṇu-tattva, but at the same time he is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa’s personal form.
  • This situation is called bhedābheda-tattva or acintya-bhedābheda-tattva, simultaneously one and different.

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

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-saṅgaby association with māyā
  2. vikārītransformed
  3. rudrathe form of Rudra
  4. bhinna-abhinna rūpahaving different types of forms
  5. jīva-tattva nahestill he is not called jīva-tattva
  6. nahenor
  7. kṛṣṇeraof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  8. svarūpapersonal form
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Sādhu-saṅga · Love grows through association

    Spiritual association shapes the movement, empowers disciples, and reveals truths through loving conversations. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “association”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does holding both oneness and difference help you understand Rudra’s position?

Practice

Write “simultaneously one and different” and note that Rudra’s association with māyā accounts for the difference.

5

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 todayRudra Is Simultaneously One and DifferentThis 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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