1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

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 20.360

এই শ্লোকে ‘পরং’-শব্দে ‘কৃষ্ণ’-নিরূপণ ।

‘সত্যং’ শব্দে কহে তাঁর স্বরূপ-লক্ষণ ॥ ৩৬০ ॥

ei śloke ‘paraṁ’-śabde ‘kṛṣṇa’-nirūpaṇa

‘satyaṁ’ śabde kahe tāṅra svarūpa-lakṣaṇa

Translation

“In this invocation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the word ‘param’ indicates Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the word ‘satyam’ indicates His personal characteristics.

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.

The Invocation Points to Lord Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The invocation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam indicates Lord Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    The word “param” indicates Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    The word “satyam” indicates His personal characteristics.

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:

Thus the Lord described the many forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He also described the incarnations of God within the material world, incarnations such as the puruṣa-avatāras, manvantara-avatāras, guṇa-avatāras and śaktyāveśa-avatāras.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ei ślokein this verse
  2. param-śabdeby the word param, or supreme
  3. kṛṣṇaof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  4. nirūpaṇathere is an indication
  5. satyam śabdeby the word satyam, or Absolute Truth
  6. kaheindicates
  7. tāṅraHis
  8. svarūpa-lakṣaṇapersonal characteristics
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What do “param” and “satyam” help you understand about Lord Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Write down “param” and “satyam,” with the meaning given here beside each word.

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 Invocation Points to Lord KṛṣṇaThis 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.

Ask Caitanya CaritamrtaHave a question about CC Madhya 20.360? Get an answer from the verses themselves.