श्री भगवानुवाचऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् ।
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ॥
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ॥
Hindi · हिन्दी
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 ॥
English
The Blessed Lord said: They speak of the imperishable banyan-like tree of the world, with roots above and branches below. The Vedas are its leaves. One who knows this tree knows the Vedas.
What this verse means
The world is like an upside-down tree: its roots are above, its branches below, and the Vedas are its leaves. Truly understanding this structure means understanding the deepest teaching.
Context & commentary
On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Arjuna is frozen before the war begins. Krishna begins Chapter 15 by describing the world as an upside-down tree of changing life, with the Vedas as its leaves. This verse sets up the whole teaching on how to see beyond appearances.
Why this verse still matters
You open your phone for one answer and get pulled into ten tabs, ten opinions, ten cravings. Krishna points to the deeper pattern underneath that mental branching: learn the structure, not just the surface noise.
The takeaway
You stop seeing life as random and start seeing its hidden pattern.
Word-by-word translation
श्रीभगवानुवाच (the Blessed Lord said) / ऊर्ध्वमूलम् (with roots above) / अधःशाखम् (with branches below) / अश्वत्थम् (the banyan-like world tree) / प्राहुः (they say) / अव्ययम् (imperishable) / छन्दांसि (the Vedas) / यस्य (whose) / पर्णानि (leaves) / यः (who) / तम् (that) / वेद (knows) / सः (he) / वेदवित् (knower of the Vedas)
This verse is part of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15: Purushottama Yoga — The Yoga of the Supreme Person, which contains 20 verses.