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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 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Madhya 21.55Madhya 21.57

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.56

ত্রিপাদ্বিভূতের্ধামত্বাৎ ত্রিপাদ্‌ভূতং হি তৎ পদম্‌ ।

বিভূতির্মায়িকী সর্বা প্রোক্তা পাদাত্মিকা যতঃ ॥ ৫৬ ॥

tri-pād-vibhūter dhāmatvāt

tri-pād-bhūtaṁ hi tat padam

vibhūtir māyikī sarvā

proktā pādātmikā yataḥ

Translation

“ ‘Because it consists of three fourths of the Lord’s energy, the spiritual world is called tri-pād-bhūta. Being a manifestation of one fourth of the Lord’s energy, the material world is called eka-pāda.’

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Names Express the Two Worlds’ Proportions

  1. 1

    The spiritual world is called tri-pād-bhūta because it consists of three fourths of the Lord’s energy.

  2. 2

    The material world is called eka-pāda because it manifests one fourth of the Lord’s energy.

  3. 3

    This statement is found in the Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta.

How it feels

Awe becoming attraction. The Lord’s vast opulence is placed beside the intimate sweetness of Kṛṣṇa.

The mood of Madhya 21 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

From Śrīla Prabhupāda's chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this chapter Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu fully describes Kṛṣṇaloka, the spiritual sky, the Causal Ocean and the material world, which consists of innumerable universes. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then describes Lord Brahmā’s interview with Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā and the Lord’s curbing the pride of Brahmā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 21
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. tri-pāt-vibhūteḥof the three fourths of the energy
  2. dhāmatvātbecause of being the abode
  3. tri-pāt-bhūtamconsisting of three fourths of the energy
  4. hicertainly
  5. tat padamthat abode
  6. vibhūtiḥthe energy or potency
  7. māyikīmaterial
  8. sarvāall
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can these two names help you remember the distinction between the spiritual and material worlds?

Practice

Write tri-pād-bhūta and eka-pāda, placing each name beside its world and its share of the Lord’s energy.

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 Express the Two Worlds’ ProportionsThis 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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