1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta with its Bengali, transliteration, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by līlā and chapter

Madhya-līlā · 25 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
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 25: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas
Madhya 25.50Madhya 25.52

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Madhya 25.51

‘ন্যায়’ কহে, — ‘পরমাণু হৈতে বিশ্ব হয়’ ।

‘মায়াবাদী’ নির্বিশেষ-ব্রহ্মে ‘হেতু’ কয় ॥ ৫১ ॥

‘nyāya’ kahe, — ‘paramāṇu haite viśva haya’

‘māyāvādī’ nirviśeṣa-brahme ‘hetu’ kaya

Translation

“The followers of nyāya, the philosophy of logic, maintain that the atom is the cause of the cosmic manifestation, and the Māyāvādī philosophers maintain that the impersonal Brahman effulgence is the cause of the cosmic manifestation.

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.

Atoms and Effulgence as Proposed Causes

  1. 1

    The followers of nyāya, the philosophy of logic, maintain that the atom causes the cosmic manifestation.

  2. 2

    The Māyāvādī philosophers maintain that the impersonal Brahman effulgence causes the cosmic manifestation.

  3. 3

    These explanations differ from the conclusion presented nearby: the original cause is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

How it feels

Reconciliation and broad mercy. Opponents turn toward bhakti; the Lord returns to Purī and embraces devotees.

The mood of Madhya 25 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Madhya 25: How All the Residents of Vārāṇasī Became Vaiṣṇavas

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

From that day, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu became famous in the city of Vārāṇasī, and many important men in that city became His followers. By and by, one of the disciples of the great sannyāsī Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī became devoted to Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and this devotee explained Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī and supported His views with various arguments.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Madhya 25
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. nyāya kahethe philosophers following logic say
  2. paramāṇuthe atom
  3. haitefrom
  4. viśva hayathe cosmic manifestation has come
  5. māyāvādīthe Māyāvādī philosophers, impersonalists
  6. nirviśeṣa-brahmein the impersonal Brahman effulgence
  7. hetuthe cause
  8. kayasay
3

Key ideas in this verse

The themes of love and mercy this verse speaks of.

  • Kīrtana community · A movement of shared hearts

    Devotional community as a living network of branches, service, festivals, care, and collective chanting. · In the Prema Atlas

    In this verse: “followers”

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

What difference do I notice between an impersonal cause and the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

Practice

Make two short notes pairing nyāya with the atom and Māyāvādī philosophy with the impersonal Brahman effulgence.

Live this todayAtoms and Effulgence as Proposed CausesThis 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 25.51? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 9 · 2 minAsk Caitanya CaritamrtaBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the book's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnLīlās & chapters