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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 20.368Madhya 20.370

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.369

‘সনকাদি’, ‘নারদ’, ‘পৃথু’, ‘পরশুরাম’ ।

জীবরূপ ‘ব্রহ্মার’ আবেশাবতার-নাম ॥ ৩৬৯ ॥

‘sanakādi’, ‘nārada’, ‘pṛthu’ ‘paraśurāma’

jīva-rūpa ‘brahmāra’ āveśāvatāra-nāma

Translation

“Some śaktyāveśa-avatāras are the four Kumāras, Nārada, Mahārāja Pṛthu and Paraśurāma. When a living being is empowered to act as Lord Brahmā, he is also considered a śaktyāveśa-avatāra.

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.

Some Examples of Empowered Incarnations

  1. 1

    The four Kumāras and Nārada are among the śaktyāveśa-avatāras.

  2. 2

    Mahārāja Pṛthu and Paraśurāma are also named as śaktyāveśa-avatāras.

  3. 3

    When a living being is empowered to act as Lord Brahmā, he is also considered a śaktyāveśa-avatāra.

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. sanaka-ādithe four Kumāras
  2. nāradaNārada
  3. pṛthuMahārāja Pṛthu
  4. paraśurāmaParaśurāma
  5. jīva-rūpaas the living entity
  6. brahmāraof Lord Brahmā
  7. āveśa-avatāra-nāmaall of them are called empowered incarnations
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What condition does the verse give for a living being acting as Lord Brahmā to be considered a śaktyāveśa-avatāra?

Practice

Write down the examples named in this verse, including the condition stated for Lord Brahmā.

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 todaySome Examples of Empowered IncarnationsThis 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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