Bhagavad Gita 15.1 meaningThe upside-down tree
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“Imagine a magic tree, upside down, with roots up in the sky.”
What it means
Krishna says: “They speak of an eternal tree with its roots above and branches below, whose leaves are sacred hymns. Whoever understands this tree understands the scriptures.”
The original Sanskrit
श्रीभगवानुवाच । ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् । छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ॥
śrībhagavānuvāca ūrdhvamūlamadhaḥśākhamaśvatthaṃ prāhuravyayam chandāṃsi yasya parṇāni yastaṃ veda sa vedavit
Translations
Literal translation
The Blessed Lord said: They say that the peepul Tree, which has its roots upward and the branches downward, and of which the Vedas are the leaves, is imperishable. He who realizes it is knower of the Vedas.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
श्री भगवान् ने कहा -- (ज्ञानी पुरुष इस संसार वृक्ष को) ऊर्ध्वमूल और अध:शाखा वाला अश्वत्थ और अव्यय कहते हैं; जिसके पर्ण छन्द अर्थात् वेद हैं, ऐसे (संसार वृक्ष) को जो जानता है, वह वेदवित् है।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 15.2“Its branches spread up and down, nourished by nature's forces, with the pleasures of the senses as its buds. Its roots reach down into the human world, binding people through action.”