Bhagavad Gita 15.1
Spoken by Krishna · Verse 1 of 20
ऊर्ध्वमूलम् अधःशाखम् अश्वत्थं प्राहुर् अव्ययम् । छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस् तं वेद स वेदवित् ॥
ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham aśvatthaṃ prāhur avyayam | chandāṃsi yasya parṇāni yas taṃ veda sa veda-vit ||
Saṃsāra is an eternal inverted tree rooted in Brahman; knowing this tree root to tip is true Vedic wisdom.
Word by word (3)
- ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham
- — root above (ūrdhva = upward), branches below (adhas = downward) — the inverted cosmic tree, Brahman as root
- aśvattham prāhur avyayam
- — they call (prāhur) the aśvattha indestructible (avyayam) — the fig tree as symbol of saṃsāra, ever-changing yet metaphysically persistent
- chandāṃsi yasya parṇāni yas taṃ veda sa veda-vit
- — whose leaves are the Vedic metres (chandas); he who knows THIS tree — that one is the true Veda-knower (veda-vit)
They speak of an imperishable aśvattha tree with its root above and branches below, whose leaves are the Vedic metres. One who truly knows this tree is the real knower of the Vedas.
A modern analogy
Imagine a vast banyan tree reflected in still water — what appears to be the top is actually the bottom, and what seems solid dissolves when you disturb the surface. Saṃsāra is exactly like this reflection: real enough to live in, unreal when looked at from the source.
Public-domain translations (4) compare all →
They speak of the indestructible Asvattha having its root above and branches below, whose leaves are the metres. He who knows it knows the Vedas. [1]
They speak of an eternal Ashvattha rooted above and branching below whose leaves are the Vedas; he who knows it, is a Veda-knower. [4]
They say the inexhaustible Aśvattha has its roots above, its branches below; the Chhandas are its leaves. He who knows it knows the Vedas. [9]
They say that the Aswattha, having its roots above and branches below, is eternal, its leaves are the Chhandas. He who knows it, knows the Vedas. [13]
This verse speaks to
Where this thread continues
Cast off this petty weakness of heart — rise. This is not who you are.
Transcending the three guṇas, the embodied one is freed from birth-death-age-pain and attains immortality.
Arjuna asks: what does the truly wise person look like? How do they speak, sit, and move?
Deluded by the three guṇa-constituted states, all this world does not recognize Me — beyond them, imperishable.
Taking refuge in Me for liberation from old age and death — they know Brahman, Adhyātma, and all of Karma.
Daivī wealth begins: abhaya, sattva-śuddhi, jñāna-yoga, dāna, dama, yajña, svādhyāya, tapa, ārjava.
Verse 1 of 20 · back to Chapter 15