Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches verses 1-4 from the fifteenth chapter, entitled Purushottama Yoga, the Yoga of the Supreme Being, of the Bhagavad Gita. This series of talks by Swami Sarvapriyananda on the Bhagavad Gita, 'the Song of God,' unfolds the highest truths of Vedanta.
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Chapter 15, Verse 1
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
ऊर्ध्वमूलमध:शाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् |
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् || 1||
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śhākham aśhvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam
chhandānsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit
⧫ The Blessed Lord said, "They speak of the immutable Ashwatham tree, with its roots above and its branches below, whose leaves are the Vedas." He who knows it is the knower of the Vedas.
Chapter 15, Verse 2
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा
गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवाला: |
अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि
कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके || 2||
adhaśh chordhvaṁ prasṛitās tasya śhākhā
guṇa-pravṛiddhā viṣhaya-pravālāḥ
adhaśh cha mūlāny anusantatāni
karmānubandhīni manuṣhya-loke
⧫ Its branches, nurtured by the gunas spread below and above, its shoots are the sense objects, and its rootlings are stretched below, producing actions in the world of men.
Verse 3 & 4
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते
नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा |
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूल
मसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा || 3||
तत: पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं
यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूय: |
तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये
यत: प्रवृत्ति: प्रसृता पुराणी || 4||
na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate
nānto na chādir na cha sampratiṣhṭhā
aśhvattham enaṁ su-virūḍha-mūlam
asaṅga-śhastreṇa dṛiḍhena chhittvā
tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁ
yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ
tam eva chādyaṁ puruṣhaṁ prapadye
yataḥ pravṛittiḥ prasṛitā purāṇī
⧫ Its form as such is not experienced here, nor its end, nor its beginning, nor its continuity. Having severed this deep-rooted Ashwatha tree with the strong weapon of non-attachment, one should next seek that goal, reaching which they do not return, saying 'I seek refuge in that primordial Purusha from whom this eternal process has sprung.'
_________________
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Vedanta is among the world’s oldest spiritual philosophies and one of its most inclusive. Rooted in the Vedas, India’s sacred scriptures, Vedanta upholds the unity of all existence, the divinity of the soul, and harmony among religions.
🏛️ *About This Channel*
This is the official channel of the Vedanta Society of New York, a spiritual institution affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India and holds the distinction of being its first established Center, founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1894. Swami Sarvapriyananda currently serves as the Resident Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York.
Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches verses 1-4 from the fifteenth chapter, entitled Purushottama Yoga, the Yoga of the Supreme Being, of the Bhagavad Gita. This series of talks by Swami Sarvapriyananda on the Bhagavad Gita, 'the Song of God,' unfolds the highest truths of Vedanta.
____________
Chapter 15, Verse 1
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
ऊर्ध्वमूलमध:शाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् |
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् || 1||
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śhākham aśhvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam
chhandānsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit
⧫ The Blessed Lord said, "They speak of the immutable Ashwatham tree, with its roots above and its branches below, whose leaves are the Vedas." He who knows it is the knower of the Vedas.
Chapter 15, Verse 2
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा
गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवाला: |
अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि
कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके || 2||
adhaśh chordhvaṁ prasṛitās tasya śhākhā
guṇa-pravṛiddhā viṣhaya-pravālāḥ
adhaśh cha mūlāny anusantatāni
karmānubandhīni manuṣhya-loke
⧫ Its branches, nurtured by the gunas spread below and above, its shoots are the sense objects, and its rootlings are stretched below, producing actions in the world of men.
Verse 3 & 4
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते
नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा |
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूल
मसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा || 3||
तत: पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं
यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूय: |
तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये
यत: प्रवृत्ति: प्रसृता पुराणी || 4||
na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate
nānto na chādir na cha sampratiṣhṭhā
aśhvattham enaṁ su-virūḍha-mūlam
asaṅga-śhastreṇa dṛiḍhena chhittvā
tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁ
yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ
tam eva chādyaṁ puruṣhaṁ prapadye
yataḥ pravṛittiḥ prasṛitā purāṇī
⧫ Its form as such is not experienced here, nor its end, nor its beginning, nor its continuity. Having severed this deep-rooted Ashwatha tree with the strong weapon of non-attachment, one should next seek that goal, reaching which they do not return, saying 'I seek refuge in that primordial Purusha from whom this eternal process has sprung.'
_________________
🙏 *Please Support the Vedanta Society of New York*
vedantany.org/donate
🌐 *Please Visit Us*
* Website: vedantany.org
* Apple & Spotify Podcasts: vedantany.org/media-channels
* YouTube (Main Channel): youtube.com/@VedantaNY
* YouTube (Archives): youtube.com/@VedantaNYArchives
* Facebook: facebook.com/VedantaNY
* X / Twitter: twitter.com/VedantaNY
📙 *Books by Swami Sarvapriyananda*
* vedantany.org/swamis-books
*Lecture Series by Swami Sarvapriyananda*
📓 Introductory Lectures: vedantany.org/introductory-lectures
📚 Vedanta Scriptures: vedantany.org/by-scriptures
🧩 Lectures by Topics: vedantany.org/by-topic
💬 AskSwami Q&A: vedantany.org/ask-swami-qa
🪔 *About Vedanta*
Vedanta is among the world’s oldest spiritual philosophies and one of its most inclusive. Rooted in the Vedas, India’s sacred scriptures, Vedanta upholds the unity of all existence, the divinity of the soul, and harmony among religions.
🏛️ *About This Channel*
This is the official channel of the Vedanta Society of New York, a spiritual institution affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India and holds the distinction of being its first established Center, founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1894. Swami Sarvapriyananda currently serves as the Resident Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York.
