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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 20.360Madhya 20.362

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.361

বিশ্বসৃষ্ট্যাদি কৈল, বেদ ব্রহ্মাকে পড়াইল ।

অর্থাভিজ্ঞতা, স্বরূপশক্ত্যে মায়া দূর কৈল ॥ ৩৬১ ॥

viśva-sṛṣṭy-ādi kaila, veda brahmāke paḍāila

arthābhijñatā, svarūpa-śaktye māyā dūra kaila

Translation

“In that same verse it is stated that the Lord is the creator, maintainer and annihilator of the cosmic manifestation and that He enabled Lord Brahmā to create the universe by infusing him with the knowledge of the Vedas. It is also stated that the Lord has full knowledge, directly and indirectly, that He knows past, present and future, and that His personal energy is separate from māyā, the illusory 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.

The Lord Creates, Sustains, and Knows All

  1. 1

    The Lord is the creator, maintainer and annihilator of the cosmic manifestation.

  2. 2

    He enabled Lord Brahmā to create the universe by infusing him with the knowledge of the Vedas.

  3. 3

    The Lord has full knowledge, directly and indirectly, of past, present and future. His personal energy is separate from māyā, the illusory 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:

At this time Caitanya Mahāprabhu was very pleased with him, and thus Śrī Sanātana Gosvāmī received knowledge of the Absolute Truth from the Lord Himself. First they discussed the constitutional position of the living entities, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained to Sanātana Gosvāmī how the living entity is one of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s energies.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. viśva-sṛṣṭi-ādicreation, maintenance and dissolution of the cosmic manifestation
  2. kailaperformed
  3. vedathe Vedic knowledge
  4. brahmākeunto Lord Brahmā
  5. paḍāilainstructed
  6. artha-abhijñatāhaving full knowledge of past, present and future
  7. svarūpa-śaktyeby His personal energy
  8. māyāthe illusory energy
  9. dūra kailaseparated
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to you about the Lord’s knowledge and His guidance of Brahmā?

Practice

Reread the translation slowly, pausing at the statement that the Lord knows past, present and future.

Live this todayThe Lord Creates, Sustains, and Knows AllThis 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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