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.
— Krishna
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Bhagavad Gita · 15.1
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 ॥
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Hover a word to focus on it.
श्रीभगवानुवाचthe Blessed Lord saidऊर्ध्वमूलम्with roots aboveअधःशाखम्with branches belowअश्वत्थम्the banyan-like world treeप्राहुःthey sayअव्ययम्imperishableछन्दांसिthe Vedasयस्यwhoseपर्णानिleavesयःwhoतम्thatवेदknowsसःheवेदवित्knower of the Vedas
Read literallythe Blessed Lord said · with roots above · with branches below · the banyan-like world tree · they say · imperishable · the Vedas · whose · leaves · who · that · knows · he · knower of the Vedas
Understanding the verse
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It shifts attention from scattered appearances to the underlying order that shapes them.
Built onVedas
01
In plain words
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.
02
On the battlefield
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.
03
In your life
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.”
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.
Who speaks Bhagavad Gita 15.1?
Krishna speaks this verse, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, in the chapter titled "Purushottama Yoga" (The Yoga of the Supreme Person).
Which chapter of the Bhagavad Gita contains verse 15.1?
Verse 1 sits in Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad Gita — Purushottama Yoga, "The Yoga of the Supreme Person". The chapter has 20 verses in total.
Why does Bhagavad Gita 15.1 matter today?
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.
It shifts attention from scattered appearances to the underlying order that shapes them.
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.
“You stop seeing life as random and start seeing its hidden pattern.”