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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 24.70Madhya 24.72

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 24.71

‘ব্রহ্ম’ শব্দের অর্থ — তত্ত্ব সর্ব-বৃহত্তম ।

স্বরূপ ঐশ্বর্য করি’ নাহি যাঁর সম ॥ ৭১ ॥

‘brahma’ śabdera artha — tattva sarva-bṛhattama

svarūpa aiśvarya kari’ nāhi yāṅra sama

Translation

“The word ‘brahma’ indicates the summum bonum, the Absolute Truth, which is greater than all other truths. It is the original identity, and there can be nothing equal to that Absolute Truth.

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.

‘Brahma’ Indicates the Absolute Truth

  1. 1

    The word ‘brahma’ indicates the summum bonum, the highest truth.

  2. 2

    This Absolute Truth is greater than all other truths.

  3. 3

    The Absolute Truth is the original identity, and nothing can be equal to that Truth.

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:

He analyzed all the words and described each word with its different connotations. Adding the words ca and api, He described all the different meanings of the verse.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 24
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. brahmabrahma
  2. śabdera arthathe meaning of the word
  3. tattvathe truth
  4. sarva-bṛhat-tamathe summum bonum among relative truths
  5. svarūpathe original identity
  6. aiśvaryaopulence
  7. kari’accepting
  8. nāhinot
  9. yāṅrawhose
  10. samaequal
3

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to you about the description of the Absolute Truth as unequaled?

Practice

Write one sentence summarizing what ‘brahma’ indicates, using the words ‘Absolute Truth.’

Live this today‘Brahma’ Indicates the Absolute TruthThis 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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