Bhagavad Gītā · Chapter 15, Verse 3
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च संप्रतिष्ठा।अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूल मसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा।।
na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate
nānto na cādir na ca sampratiṣṭhā
aśvattham enaṁ su-virūḍha-mūlam
asaṅga-śastreṇa dṛḍhena cchittvā
also searched as "na rupam asyeha tathopalabhyate"
Translation
Its form is not perceived here, nor its end, nor its beginning, nor its support. Having cut off this firmly-rooted Asvattha with the strong axe of detachment.
Vāṇi's rendering
Its true shape cannot be seen from here — no end, no beginning, no base. Take the axe of non-attachment. Cut it down.
Word by word
| Sanskrit & transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नna | not |
| रूपम्rūpam | form, shape |
| अस्यasya | of this (tree) |
| इहiha | here, in this world |
| तथाtathā | in that way, as described |
| उपलभ्यतेupalabhyate | is perceived, is grasped |
| नna | not (joined with the next word as nānto) |
| अन्तःantaḥ | end |
| नna | not |
| चca | and |
| आदिःādiḥ | beginning (joined as cādir) |
| नna | not |
| चca | and |
| संप्रतिष्ठाsampratiṣṭhā | base, the ground it stands on |
| अश्वत्थम्aśvattham | the aśvattha, the world-tree |
| एनम्enam | this |
| सुविरूढमूलम्su-virūḍha-mūlam | whose roots have grown deep and firm |
| असङ्गशस्त्रेणasaṅga-śastreṇa | with the weapon of non-attachment |
| दृढेनdṛḍhena | strong, unwavering |
| छित्त्वाchittvā | having cut down |
Frequently asked
What does Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15 Verse 3 mean?
It means the world's true structure cannot be surveyed from within it — no origin, no ending, no foundation is available to you. Krishna does not offer a better view. He offers a tool: asaṅga, non-attachment, held firmly. Understanding comes after the cutting, not before it.
What does na rupam asyeha tathopalabhyate teach?
That waiting for full clarity is itself the trap. The aśvattha's roots run too deep and too high for any inspection you can complete. Krishna tells Arjuna to act on what he does have — a steady refusal to cling — rather than to keep circling the tree looking for its base.
Is the axe of non-attachment the same as giving up on life?
No. What is cut is the grip, not the living. Asaṅga severs the assumption that your wellbeing hangs on how each branch turns out. The work continues, the relationships continue. What ends is the dependence. That is why Krishna calls it a weapon and asks that it be held dṛḍhena — firmly.
Why must the axe be strong or firm?
Because the roots are su-virūḍha, well-grown. A half-hearted detachment leaves the tree standing and only makes you tired. Krishna is precise here: the cut has to be repeated, unwavering, and unsentimental. You will feel it in the small daily refusals to be owned by an outcome.
Themes in this verse
Read every verse this way, held — inside Vāṇi.
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Commentary
You cannot see the whole tree from inside it. Krishna has just described the world as an aśvattha with roots above and branches below, and now he says the thing nobody admits — from where you stand, its shape is unavailable. No beginning you can date, no end you can foresee, no floor it rests on. Arjuna wants a map before he acts. He is handed an axe instead. Non-attachment is not indifference; it is the one cut that works on a tree whose trunk you will never locate. Stop trying to see it whole. Loosen your grip on one thing today, and the tree thins.