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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

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.326

রৈবতে ‘বৈকুণ্ঠ’, চাক্ষুষে ‘অজিত’, বৈবস্বতে ‘বামন’ ।

সাবর্ণ্যে ‘সার্বভৌম’, দক্ষসাবর্ণ্যে ‘ঋষভ’ গণন ॥ ৩২৬ ॥

raivate ‘vaikuṇṭha’, cākṣuṣe ‘ajita’, vaivasvate ‘vāmana’

sāvarṇye ‘sārvabhauma’, dakṣa-sāvarṇye ‘ṛṣabha’ gaṇana

Translation

“In the Raivata-manvantara, the avatāra is named Vaikuṇṭha, and in the Cākṣuṣa-manvantara, He is named Ajita. In the Vaivasvata-manvantara, He is named Vāmana, and in the Sāvarṇya-manvantara, He is named Sārvabhauma. In the Dakṣa-sāvarṇya-manvantara, he is named Ṛṣabha.

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.

Names of Avatāras in Five Manvantaras

  1. 1

    In the Raivata-manvantara, the avatāra is named Vaikuṇṭha. In the Cākṣuṣa-manvantara, He is named Ajita.

  2. 2

    In the Vaivasvata-manvantara, the avatāra is named Vāmana. In the Sāvarṇya-manvantara, He is named Sārvabhauma.

  3. 3

    In the Dakṣa-sāvarṇya-manvantara, the avatāra is named Ṛṣabha.

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. raivatein the Raivata-manvantara
  2. vaikuṇṭhathe avatāra named Vaikuṇṭha
  3. cākṣuṣein the Cākṣuṣa-manvantara
  4. ajitathe avatāra named Ajita
  5. vaivasvatein the Vaivasvata-manvantara
  6. vāmanathe avatāra named Vāmana
  7. sāvarṇyein the Sāvarṇya-manvantara
  8. sārvabhaumathe avatāra named Sārvabhauma
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which of these manvantara–avatāra pairs would you like to remember today?

Practice

Choose one pair, read it aloud three times, and write it once from memory.

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 todayNames of Avatāras in Five ManvantarasThis 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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