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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 21.86Madhya 21.88

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 21.87

‘একপাদ বিভূতি’ ইহার নাহি পরিমাণ ।

‘ত্রিপাদ বিভূতি’র কেবা করে পরিমাণ ॥” ৮৭ ॥

‘eka-pāda vibhūti’ ihāra nāhi parimāṇa

‘tri-pāda vibhūti’ra kebā kare parimāṇa”

Translation

“ ‘No one can measure the length and breadth of the one fourth of My energy manifested in the material world. Who then can measure the three fourths that is manifested in the spiritual world?’

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 Energy Cannot Be Measured

  1. 1

    The material world manifests one fourth of Kṛṣṇa’s energy.

  2. 2

    No one can measure even the length and breadth of this material manifestation.

  3. 3

    Three fourths of His energy is manifested in the spiritual world. Kṛṣṇa asks who, then, could measure that.

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. eka-pāda vibhūtia one-fourth manifestation of My opulence
  2. ihāraof this
  3. nāhithere is not
  4. parimāṇameasurement
  5. tri-pāda vibhūtiraof the spiritual world, having three fourths of My energy
  6. kebāwho
  7. karecan do
  8. parimāṇameasurement
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this comparison help you recognize the limits of your understanding?

Practice

Write down the one-fourth and three-fourths comparison, then pause to consider Kṛṣṇa’s question.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Energy Cannot Be MeasuredThis 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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