Bhagavad Gita 15.2 meaningThe upside-down tree
In simple wordsSo simple a child gets it
“Its branches spread everywhere, and wanting keeps it growing.”
What it means
“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.”
The original Sanskrit
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः । अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके ॥
adhaścordhvaṃ prasṛtāstasya śākhā guṇapravṛddhā viṣayapravālāḥ adhaśca mūlānyanusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣyaloke
Translations
Literal translation
The branches of that (Tree), extending down-wards and upwards, are strengthened by the qualities and have sense-objects as their shoots. And the roots, which are followed by actions, spread down-wards in the human world.
Swami Gambhirananda
हिंदी अनुवाद
उस वृक्ष की शाखा एं गुणों से प्रवृद्ध हुईं नीचे और ऊपर फैली हुईं हैं; (पंच) विषय इसके अंकुर हैं; मनुष्य लोक में कर्मों का अनुसरण करने वाली इसकी अन्य जड़ें नीचे फैली हुईं हैं।
Swami Tejomayananda
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Commentaries
How great teachers across 1,200 years have explained this verse.
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Keep reading · 15.3“Its true shape can't be seen from here — not its end, its beginning or its base. Cut down this deep-rooted tree with the strong axe of non-attachment —