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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 20.390Madhya 20.392

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 20.391

ঐছে কৃষ্ণের লীলা-মণ্ডল চৌদ্দমন্বন্তরে ।

ব্রহ্মাণ্ডমণ্ডল ব্যাপি’ ক্রমে ক্রমে ফিরে ॥ ৩৯১ ॥

aiche kṛṣṇera līlā-maṇḍala caudda-manvantare

brahmāṇḍa-maṇḍala vyāpi’ krame krame phire

Translation

“Just as there is an orbit of the sun, there is an orbit of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, which are manifested one after the other. During the lifetime of fourteen Manus, this orbit expands through all the universes, and gradually it returns. Thus Kṛṣṇa moves with His pastimes through all the universes, one after another.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes Move Through All Universes

  1. 1

    Just as the sun has an orbit, Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes have an orbit. They are manifested one after another.

  2. 2

    During the lifetime of fourteen Manus, this orbit expands through all the universes and gradually returns.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa moves with His pastimes through all the universes, one after another.

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:

The Lord also discussed the divisions of Kṛṣṇa’s different ages, such as bālya and paugaṇḍa, and the different pastimes of the different ages. He explained how Kṛṣṇa attained His permanent form when He reached youth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 20
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. aichein the same way
  2. kṛṣṇeraof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  3. līlā-maṇḍalagroups of different pastimes
  4. caudda-manvantarein the duration of fourteen Manus
  5. brahmāṇḍa-maṇḍalaall of the universes
  6. vyāpi’spreading through
  7. krame kramegradually
  8. phirereturn
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the example of the sun’s orbit help you picture the movement of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes?

Practice

Draw a simple circle and label it as a reminder that Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes move through the universes and gradually return.

4

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

2 lectures given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Pastimes Move Through All UniversesThis 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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