Bhagavad Gita 15.1श्री भगवानुवाचऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्।छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ॥
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śhākham aśhvatthaṁ
prāhur avyayam chhandānsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit
Sanskrit recitation
The inverted tree of life · 15.1–15.6 · Teaching
Translation
The Blessed Lord said: They (the wise) speak of the indestructible peepul tree, with its roots above and branches below, whose leaves are the meters or hymns; he who knows it is a knower of the Vedas.
Hindi translation
श्रीभगवान् बोले -- ऊपरकी ओर मूलवाले तथा नीचेकी ओर शाखावाले जिस संसाररूप अश्वत्थवृक्षको अव्यय कहते हैं और वेद जिसके पत्ते हैं, उस संसारवृक्षको जो जानता है, वह सम्पूर्ण वेदोंको जाननेवाला है।
Meaning
The description of the universe as a peepul tree is only metaphorical. This peepul is said to be eternal because it cannot be cut except by the axe of knowledge.All persons depend upon the Lord for the fruits of their actions, because He alone knows the right relation between the actions and their fruits. He alone is the dispenser of the fruits of actions of human beings. The wise persons also depend upon the Lord for the fruit of their knowledge. The Lord alone removes the veil of ignorance through His grace and mercy. The inclination for Advaita Vedantic Sadhana arises through the Lords grace. The desire for the realisation of the Oneness is produced in the minds of wise men by the grace of the Lord, which is the antidote to all fears. (Avadhuta Gita, I.1)Those who serve the Lord with unswerving or singleminded devotion go beyond the three alities of Nature through His grace. They attain knowledge of the Self through the grace of the Lord and get release from the round of birth and death. Those who have a right understanding of the real nature of Brahman or the Supreme Being also get emancipation easily.The Lord teaches Arjuna in this discourse about the real nature of Brahman or the Supreme Self and the path that leads the soul to union with Him
After Swami Sivananda
The inverted tree of life· 15.1–15.6→
Teachers usually read this idea across several verses together, one shared reflection covers the whole unit.
15.1The Blessed Lord said: They (the wise) speak of the indestructible peepul tree, with its…
- 15.2Its branches spread below and above, nourished by the Gunas; its buds are sense-objects,…
- 15.3Its form is not perceived here as such, nor its end, origin, foundation, or resting place;…
- 15.4Then, that goal should be sought for, to which, having gone, none returns again. I seek…
- 15.5Free from pride and delusion, victorious over the evil of attachment, dwelling constantly…
- 15.6Neither does the sun illuminate there, nor the moon, nor the fire; having gone there, they…
Word-by-word→
- tam
- that
- veda
- knows
- saḥ
- he
- yasya
- of which
- yaḥ
- who
- adhaḥ
- downward
- avyayam
- eternal
- veda-vit
- the knower of the Vedas
- prāhuḥ
- they speak
- śhākham
- branches
- parṇāni
- leaves
- aśhvattham
- the sacred fig tree
- chhandānsi
- Vedic mantras
- ūrdhva-mūlam
- with roots above
- śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
- the Supreme Divine Personality said
Related verses
- 5.20Resting in Brahman, with a steady intellect and undeluded, the knower of Brahman neither…
- 13.31When a person sees all beings as resting in the One and emanating from the One alone, they…
- 15.11The yogis striving for perfection behold Him dwelling in the Self; but, the unrefined and…
- 18.35That firmness, O Arjuna, by which a stupid man does not abandon sleep, fear, grief,…