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 ॥
Themes:
Word by word
The verse in reading order — each Sanskrit word with its meaning beneath. Tap 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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Krishna pictures the world as an upside-down ashvattha tree, roots above, with the Vedas as its leaves.
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
Krishna begins Chapter 15, with Arjuna still frozen before the war, 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
What it looks like today
Tracing the family tree at a festival gathering, you find roots going back further than anyone remembers. Krishna draws the whole world as such a tree, rooted above, and says knowing it is knowing the Vedas.
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?
Tracing the family tree at a festival gathering, you find roots going back further than anyone remembers. Krishna draws the whole world as such a tree, rooted above, and says knowing it is knowing the Vedas.
Krishna pictures the world as an upside-down ashvattha tree, roots above, with the Vedas as its leaves.
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
Krishna begins Chapter 15, with Arjuna still frozen before the war, 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.
What it looks like today
Tracing the family tree at a festival gathering, you find roots going back further than anyone remembers. Krishna draws the whole world as such a tree, rooted above, and says knowing it is knowing the Vedas.
“You stop seeing life as random and start seeing its hidden pattern.”