श्रीभगवानुवाच | ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् | छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ||
śrī-bhagavān uvāca ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit
Translation
The Blessed Lord said: With roots above and branches below, the eternal Ashvattha tree is spoken of. Its leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.
Interpretation
Chapter 15 opens with one of the Gita's most arresting images: the cosmic tree of existence, described as the Ashvattha (peepal/fig tree) growing upside-down — roots in the Divine above, branches spreading downward into manifest existence. The Vedas (sacred hymns) are its leaves, suggesting the scriptural frameworks that describe this tree rather than transcend it. This is the Tree of Samsara — conditioned existence in all its elaborate profusion. To truly know this tree — its nature, its illusory character, and the path to cutting it down — is the highest Vedic knowledge.