Gita 15.1
Purushottama Yoga
श्रीभगवानुवाच | ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् | छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ||१||
śrī-bhagavān uvāca | ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śākham aśvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam | chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit ||1||
In essence: The cosmic tree of existence has its roots in the transcendent and branches in the manifest world—to truly know the Vedas is to understand this inverted tree.
A conversation between a seeker and guide to help you feel this verse deeply
Sadhak-Guru Dialogue
Sadhak: "A tree with roots above and branches below? This seems like poetry or mythology. How can I relate to such an abstract image?"
Guru: "Consider this: where does your life force come from? Your body 'grows' from something invisible—consciousness, breath, life energy. The visible body is the branch; the invisible source is the root. Does material cause produce consciousness, or does consciousness manifest matter?"
Sadhak: "When I look deeply, it seems consciousness is primary—matter appears within awareness, not the reverse. But then why do I feel so rooted in the physical world?"
Guru: "That is the great inversion! You experience the branches as ground and the root as sky. Spiritual life is recognizing that what seems 'above' and distant—pure awareness, the Divine—is actually your foundation. The material seems solid but is derivative; the spiritual seems intangible but is the source. This tree makes visible the invisible truth."
Sadhak: "And the Vedas as leaves—keeping the tree alive?"
Guru: "Rituals, duties, even religious practices can sustain samsaric existence rather than transcend it. They provide shade and order but may not lead beyond the tree itself. The knower of the Vedas sees through the leaves to the root. Understanding the tree is the beginning of liberation from it."
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🌅 Daily Practice
Upon waking, before engaging with the day's activities (the 'branches'), spend a few moments resting in your source—pure awareness before thought. Recognize that the visible world you are about to enter springs from an invisible root. Begin your day grounded in the transcendent, even as you move into the manifest.
When caught in worldly complexity—relationships, work pressures, desires and fears—pause and invoke this image: you are moving among branches, leaves, secondary growths. Ask yourself: 'Where is the root?' This question alone can shift perspective from horizontal entanglement to vertical remembrance of source.
Reflect on the day's activities as movements within the tree. Notice how Vedic-type duties (ethical actions, responsibilities fulfilled) kept life ordered but did not themselves produce peace. That peace came from moments of root-awareness. Let this understanding settle as you release the day, returning attention to the silent source above and within.