Chapter 15 · Verse 1 · Purushottama Yoga
Bhagavad Gita 15.1
Sanskrit
श्री भगवानुवाचऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्।छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित्।।15.1।।
Transliteration
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śhākham aśhvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam chhandānsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit
In plain words
You feel lost because you're looking for yourself in the wrong place — in what you have, what you've achieved, what others think of you, what might still happen. Krishna says: you are not a leaf blown by the wind; you are rooted in something eternal and unchanging that holds you even when everything else falls away. Once you feel that rootedness, the confusion about who you are and what you're meant to do begins to settle.
Word by Word
Krishna unveils the cosmic tree of existence—roots in the transcendent Brahman above, branches extending downward as the manifest universe. The Vedic mantras are its leaves, the very syllables through which creation breathes and sustains itself.
To know this tree is to recognize that separation between spirit and matter, observer and observed, is illusion; you already dwell within it. When you truly see that your life is a leaf on this eternal tree—rooted in the Divine—you move from seeking security in the changing world to resting in unchanging consciousness.
Listen
Bhagavad Gita 15.1 — BG 15.1
Your Mantra Prescription
This mantra is prescribed for clarity and purpose. Is that what you're going through?
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