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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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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 9.23

বড় শাখা, উপশাখা, তার উপশাখা ।

যত উপজিল তার কে করিবে লেখা ॥ ২৩ ॥

baḍa śākhā, upaśākhā, tāra upaśākhā

yata upajila tāra ke karibe lekhā

Translation

These branches and subbranches and their subbranches became so numerous that no one can actually write about them.

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.

Growth Beyond Complete Description

  1. 1

    The tree had branches and subbranches.

  2. 2

    Those subbranches had further subbranches of their own.

  3. 3

    They became so numerous that no one could actually write about them all.

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. baḍa śākhāthe big branches
  2. upaśākhāsubbranches
  3. tāratheir
  4. upaśākhāsubbranches
  5. yataall that
  6. upajilagrew
  7. tāraof them
  8. kewho
  9. karibecan count
  10. lekhāor write
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 does this verse suggest about the limits of a written description of the tree?

Practice

Write one sentence describing why a complete account of all the branches is not possible.

Live this todayGrowth Beyond Complete DescriptionThis 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 9.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.