B.G 15.01

श्रीभगवानुवाच

śrībhagavānuvāca

[श्री (śrī) - auspicious; भगवान् (bhagavān) - Lord; उवाच (uvāca) - said;]

The auspicious Lord said:

ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखं अश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्। छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ॥१॥

ūrdhvamūlamadhaḥśākhaṃ aśvatthaṃ prāhuravyayam। chandāṃsi yasya parṇāni yastaṃ veda sa vedavit ॥1॥

[ऊर्ध्व (ūrdhva) - upward; मूलम् (mūlam) - root; अधः (adhaḥ) - downward; शाखम् (śākham) - branches; अश्वत्थम् (aśvattham) - sacred fig tree; प्राहुः (prāhuḥ) - they say; अव्ययम् (avyayam) - eternal; छन्दांसि (chandāṃsi) - Vedas; यस्यम् (yasyam) - whose; पर्णानि (parṇāni) - leaves; यः (yaḥ) - who; तम् (tam) - that; वेद (veda) - knows; सः (saḥ) - he; वेदवित् (vedavit) - knower of the Vedas;]

They speak of the imperishable peepul tree having its roots above and branches below. Its leaves are the Vedas, i.e. knowledge; he who knows it is the knower of the Vedas.

Gīta Tātparya 15.01

Here, the union of consciousness and matter is declared to be a tree. The earth, the deity, is like clay, the insentient. Lord Hari, due to the superiority of the roots, is remembered as having roots above. From there, the inferior - 'mahat aham', i.e. the great ego principle, intellect - joined with elements, emerged. The branches are the Vedic hymns, and the leaves represent desires and liberation.

त्रयोदशाध्यायोक्तं विविच्य दर्शयति-

trayodaśādhyāyoktaṃ vivicya darśayati-

[त्रयोदश (trayodaśa) - thirteen; अध्याय (adhyāya) - chapter; उक्तं (uktaṃ) - said; विविच्य (vivicya) - having examined; दर्शयति (darśayati) - shows;]

It elaborates on the topics touched on in the thirteenth chapter (13.06).

"पृथङ्ग् मूलं हरिस्त्वस्य जगद्वृक्षस्य भूमिवत्। सत्त्वादियुक्ते चिदचित्प्रकृती मूलभागवत्॥ अत्रापि चिदचिद्योगो वृक्षवत् सम्प्रकीर्तितः। पृथिवी देवतावत् तद्धरिर्मृद्वदचेतना। उत्तमत्वात्तु मूलानामूर्ध्वमूलस्त्वयं स्मृतः। नीचास्ततो महदहम्बुद्धयो भूतसंयुताः। शाखाः छन्दांसि पर्णानि काममोक्षफले ह्यतः॥ ॥१॥"

"pṛthaṅg mūlaṃ haristvasya jagadvṛkṣasya bhūmivat। sattvādi-yukte cidacitprakṛtī mūlabhāgavat॥ Atrāpi cidacid-yogo vṛkṣavat samprakīrtitaḥ। Pṛthivī devatāvat taddharirmṛdvadacetana। Uttamatvāttu mūlānāmūrdhvamūlastvayaṃ smṛtaḥ। Nīcāstato mahadahambuddhayo bhūtasaṃyutāḥ। Śākhāḥ chandāṃsi parṇāni kāmamokṣaphale hyataḥ॥ ॥1॥

[पृथङ्ग् (pṛthaṅg) - distinct; मूलं (mūlaṃ) - root; हरिः (hariḥ) - Hari; तस्य (tasya) - of that; जगद्वृक्षस्य (jagadvṛkṣasya) - of the world tree; भूमिवत् (bhūmivat) - like the earth; सत्त्वादियुक्ते (sattvādi-yukte) - endowed with qualities like sattva; चिदचित्प्रकृती (cidacitprakṛtī) - conscious and unconscious nature; मूलभागवत् (mūlabhāgavat) - root part of the divine; अत्र (atra) - here; अपि (api) - also; चित् (cit) - consciousness; अचित् (acit) - matter; योगः (yogaḥ) - union; वृक्षवत् (vṛkṣavat) - like a tree; सम्प्रकीर्तितः (samprakīrtitaḥ) - is declared; पृथिवी (pṛthivī) - earth; देवतावत् (devatāvat) - like a deity; तत् (tat) - that; हरिः (hariḥ) - Hari (God); मृद्वत् (mṛdvat) - like clay; अचेतना (acetana) - insentient; उत्तमत्वात् (uttamatvāt) - due to superiority; तु (tu) - but; मूलानाम् (mūlānām) - of the roots; ऊर्ध्वमूलः (ūrdhvamūlaḥ) - with roots above; अयम् (ayam) - this; स्मृतः (smṛtaḥ) - is remembered; नीचाः (nīcāḥ) - low; ततः (tataḥ) - from there; महत् (mahat) - great; अहम् (aham) - I; बुद्धयः (buddhayaḥ) - intellects; भूत (bhūta) - elements; संयुताः (saṃyutāḥ) - joined; शाखाः (śākhāḥ) - branches; छन्दांसि (chandāṃsi) - Vedic hymns; पर्णानि (parṇāni) - leaves; काम (kāma) - desire; मोक्ष (mokṣa) - liberation; फले (phale) - fruits; हि (hi) - indeed; अतः (ataḥ) - therefore;]

"Lord Hari is the distinct root of the world tree. The earth, possessing qualities such as sattva, represents both the conscious and unconscious aspects of nature, being the divine root. Here, the union of consciousness and matter is declared to be a tree. The earth, the deity, is like clay, the insentient. Lord Hari, due to the superiority of the roots, is remembered as having roots above. From there, the inferior - 'mahat aham', i.e. the great ego principle, intellect - joined with elements, emerged. The branches are the Vedic hymns, and the leaves represent desires and liberation."