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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 21: The Opulence and Sweetness of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
Madhya 21.66Madhya 21.68

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.67

দশ-বিশ-শত-সহস্র-অযুত-লক্ষ-বদন ।

কোট্যর্বুদ মুখ কারো, না যায় গণন ॥ ৬৭ ॥

daśa-biśa-śata-sahasra-ayuta-lakṣa-vadana

koṭy-arbuda mukha kāro, nā yāya gaṇana

Translation

“These Brahmās had different numbers of heads. Some had ten heads, some twenty, some a hundred, some a thousand, some ten thousand, some a hundred thousand, some ten million and others a hundred million. No one can count the number of faces they had.

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 Brahmās Have Countless Faces

  1. 1

    The Brahmās have different numbers of heads.

  2. 2

    Some have ten or twenty heads, while others have thousands or millions.

  3. 3

    Some have a hundred million heads; no one can count the number of faces they all have.

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:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then describes Lord Brahmā’s interview with Kṛṣṇa at Dvārakā and the Lord’s curbing the pride of Brahmā. There is also a description of one of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with Brahmā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 21
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. daśaten
  2. biśatwenty
  3. śatahundred
  4. sahasrathousand
  5. ayutaten thousand
  6. lakṣaa hundred thousand
  7. vadanafaces
  8. koṭiten million
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this description challenge what you can easily imagine or count?

Practice

Spend a moment reflecting on the statement that no one can count all these faces.

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 Brahmās Have Countless FacesThis 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 21.67? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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