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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 24: The Sixty-One Explanations of the Ātmārāma Verse
Madhya 24.306Madhya 24.308

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.307

‘আত্মা’-শব্দে কহে ‘ক্ষেত্রজ্ঞ জীব’-লক্ষণ ।

ব্ৰহ্মাদি কীটপর্যন্ত — তাঁর শক্তিতে গণন ॥ ৩০৭ ॥

‘ātmā’-śabde kahe ‘kṣetrajña jīva’-lakṣaṇa

brahmādi kīṭa-paryanta — tāṅra śaktite gaṇana

Translation

“The word ‘ātmā’ also refers to the living entity who knows about his body. That is another symptom. From Lord Brahmā down to the insignificant ant, everyone is counted as the marginal potency of the Lord.

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.

All Living Entities Are the Lord’s Potency

  1. 1

    The word ‘ātmā’ also refers to the living entity who knows about his body.

  2. 2

    This knowing of the body is another symptom of the living entity.

  3. 3

    From Lord Brahmā down to the insignificant ant, everyone is counted as the Lord’s marginal potency.

How it feels

Intellectual wonder humbled. Many explanations converge on the attractiveness of devotion; a hunter’s heart is transformed.

The mood of Madhya 24 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 24: The Sixty-One Explanations of the Ātmārāma Verse

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

Sanātana Gosvāmī then offered a prayer to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained the glory of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. After this, the Lord gave Sanātana Gosvāmī a synopsis of Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, which Sanātana Gosvāmī later developed into the guiding principle of all Vaiṣṇavas.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 24
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. ātmā-śabdeby the word ātmā
  2. kaheit is said
  3. kṣetra-jña jīvathe living entity who knows about his body
  4. lakṣaṇasymptom
  5. brahmā-ādibeginning from Lord Brahmā
  6. kīṭa-paryantadown to the insignificant ant
  7. tāṅraHis
  8. śaktiteas the marginal potency
  9. gaṇanacounting
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Dainya & humility · Making room for grace

    The humility expressed by the author, devotees, transformed scholars, renunciants, and the Śikṣāṣṭaka. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “insignificant”

Concept links are an editorial study map; only the verse is the text itself.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does seeing even an ant as the Lord’s marginal potency affect my outlook?

Practice

When you notice a small living creature today, pause and remember that it belongs to the Lord’s marginal potency.

Live this todayAll Living Entities Are the Lord’s PotencyThis 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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