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Study a Verse

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

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Ādi-līlā · 17 chapters

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 ›

Śrī Caitanya Caritamrta · Text Ādi 9.17

স্কন্ধের উপরে বহু শাখা উপজিল ।

উপরি উপরি শাখা অসংখ্য হইল ॥ ১৭ ॥

skandhera upare bahu śākhā upajila

upari upari śākhā asaṅkhya ha-ila

Translation

From the trunk grew many branches, and above them innumerable others.

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.

Branches Grow Beyond Counting

  1. 1

    Many branches grew from the trunk.

  2. 2

    Above those branches, still more branches grew.

  3. 3

    These further branches were innumerable, showing the tree’s abundant growth.

How it feels

Overflowing generosity. The gardener distributes the fruits of love without restriction.

The mood of Ādi 9 as a whole, an editorial reading, not the text itself. See the emotional atlas

Further reading

Ādi 9: The Desire Tree of Devotional Service

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

From the main trunk there extend two special branches, Advaita Prabhu and Śrī Nityānanda Prabhu, and from those branches grow other branches and twigs. The tree surrounds the entire world, and the fruits of the tree are to be distributed to everyone.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in Ādi 9
2

Word for word

Learn the words of the verse.

  1. skandhera upareupon the trunk
  2. bahu śākhāmany branches
  3. upajilagrew
  4. upari upariover and above them
  5. śākhāother branches
  6. asaṅkhyainnumerable
  7. ha-ilafructified
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: “branches”

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 impression does the image of innumerable branches leave with me?

Practice

Sketch a trunk with many branches, then add smaller branches above them to recall the verse.

Live this todayBranches Grow Beyond CountingThis 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 Ādi 9.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.