Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila Chapter 20 Verses 147-148

Madhya-līlā | Chapter 20: Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Instructs Sanātana Gosvāmī in the Science of the Absolute Truth

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta Madhya 20.147-148

kiḿ vidhatte kim ācaṣṭe

kim anūdya vikalpayet

ity asyā hṛdayaḿ loke

nānyo mad veda kaścana

māḿ vidhatte 'bhidhatte māḿ

vikalpyāpohyate hy aham

etāvān sarva-vedārthaḥ

śabda āsthāya māḿ bhidām

māyā-mātram anūdyānte

pratiṣidhya prasīdati

SYNONYMS

kim — what; vidhatte — direct; kim — what; ācaṣṭe — declare; kim — what; anūdya — taking as the object; vikalpayet — may conjecture; iti — thus; asyāḥ — of the Vedic literature; hṛdayam — intention; loke — in this world; na — not; anyaḥ — other; mat — than Me; veda — knows; kaścana — anyone; mām — Me; vidhatte — they ordain; abhidhatte — set forth; mām — Me; vikalpya — speculating; apohyate — am fixed; hi — certainly; aham — I; etāvān — of such measures; sarva-veda-arthaḥ — the purport of the Vedas; śabdaḥ — the Vedas; āsthāya — taking shelter of; mām — Me; bhidām — different; māyā — illusory energy; mātram — only; anūdya — saying; ante — at the end; pratiṣidhya — driving away; prasīdati — gets satisfaction.

TRANSLATION

"[Lord Kṛṣṇa said:] 'What is the purpose of all Vedic literatures? On whom do they focus? Who is the object of all speculation? Outside of Me no one knows these things. Now you should know that all these activities are aimed at ordaining and setting forth Me. The purpose of the Vedic literatures is to know Me by different speculations, either by indirect understanding or by dictionary understanding. Everyone is speculating about Me. The essence of all Vedic literatures is to distinguish Me from māyā. By considering the illusory energy, one comes to the platform of understanding Me. In this way one becomes free from speculation about the Vedas and comes to Me as the conclusion. Thus one is satisfied.'

PURPORT

These two verses are quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.21.42-43). When Uddhava asked Kṛṣṇa about the purpose of Vedic speculation, the Lord informed him of the process of understanding the Vedic literature. The Vedas are composed of karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. One who analytically studies the purpose of the Vedas understands that by karma-kāṇḍa, sacrificial activity, one comes to the conclusion of jñāna-kāṇḍa, speculative knowledge, and that after speculation one comes to the conclusion that worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the ultimate. When one comes to this conclusion, he becomes fully satisfied.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness