October 14, 2025
śrībhagavān uvāca
ūrdhvamūlam adhaḥśākham aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayaṁ
chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa vedavit (XV-1)
adhaś co ’rdvaṁ prasṛtās tasya śākhāa
guṇapravṛddhā viṣayapravālāḥ
adhaś ca mūlāny anusaṁtatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣyaloke (XV-2)
XV/1. The blessed Lord said: They (the wise) speak of the
indestructiblepeepul tree having its root above and branches
below, whose leaves are the metres or hymns; he who knows
it is a knower of the vedā.
XV/2. Below and above spread its branches, nourished
by the guṇā; sense- objects are its buds; and below
in the world of men stretch forth the roots, originating action.
Swamiji's Commentary
A picturesque description of the cosmos. Krishna had already described the peepul tree as one of his special manifestations. Those who have seen this tree will admit that it is truly majestic and grand. Its majesty and grandeur qualify it for this special mention. Its roots go deep into the soil. Hence Krishna takes it up once again to illustrate the cosmos.
All trees have their roots below; but this tree, which is the image of the cosmos, has its roots above – not literally, but allegorically. Strange but true it is, that this material universe has its roots in the transcendent reality. Nothing exists but that. The substratum of what appears to be is that; and incidentally, even the power of illusion that makes the illusory appearance possible is in a way transcendent, too, for it cannot be properly explained. The cosmos-tree has its roots above.
To the yogī, this tree might mean the suṣuṁnā-nādī (the psychic counterpart of the spinal cord), which has its root in the medulla oblongata (known as the ‘Tree of Life’ in French). The trunk extends downwards, and contains the various cakrā on whose petals are the various letters (varṇā) which are here described as the chandās (hymns composed of those letters). The nādī (subtle counterparts) branch out from this trunk with sense-objects as the buds.
This inverted tree has a root again below, which generates actions; the mūlāḍhāra and the other lower cakrā are thus referred to.
The tree and its root are of one substance – God.