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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 20.313Madhya 20.315

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.314

পালনার্থ স্বাংশ বিষ্ণুরূপে অবতার ।

সত্ত্বগুণ দ্ৰষ্টা, তাতে গুণমায়া-পার ॥ ৩১৪ ॥

pālanārtha svāṁśa viṣṇu-rūpe avatāra

sattva-guṇa draṣṭā, tāte guṇa-māyā-pāra

Translation

“For the maintenance of the universe, Lord Kṛṣṇa descends as His personal plenary expansion in the form of Viṣṇu. He is the director of the mode of goodness; therefore He is transcendental to the material energy.

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.

Viṣṇu Maintains the Universe Beyond Material Energy

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa descends as Viṣṇu for the maintenance of the universe.

  2. 2

    Viṣṇu is Lord Kṛṣṇa’s personal plenary expansion.

  3. 3

    He directs the mode of goodness and is transcendental to the material energy.

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. pālana-arthafor maintenance
  2. svāṁśapersonal plenary expansion
  3. viṣṇu-rūpein the form of Lord Viṣṇu
  4. avatāraincarnation
  5. sattva-guṇaof the mode of goodness
  6. draṣṭādirector
  7. tātetherefore
  8. guṇa-māyā-pāratranscendental to the material modes of nature
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this verse distinguish directing material goodness from being subject to material energy?

Practice

Write down Viṣṇu’s role in maintaining the universe and His position beyond material energy.

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 todayViṣṇu Maintains the Universe Beyond Material EnergyThis 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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