Bhagavad Gita — Purushottama Yoga, Shloka 3
Purushottama Yoga
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च संप्रतिष्ठा । अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूल- मसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा ॥
na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate nānto na cādir na ca saṃpratiṣṭhā | aśvattham enaṃ suvirūḍha-mūlam asaṅga-śastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā ||
Here its true form is not perceived—neither its end, nor its beginning, nor its firm foundation. Having cut down this aśvattha, deeply rooted, with the strong weapon of non-attachment…
Here its form is not perceived as such—neither its end, nor its beginning, nor its firm foundation. Having cut down this deeply rooted aśvattha (tree) with the strong weapon of non-attachment…
In this world its true form is not apprehended: neither its end, nor its beginning, nor its established basis. Having cut this aśvattha, whose roots are deeply grown, with the firm ‘weapon’ of non-attachment…
Most recensions read essentially the same. The verse is syntactically incomplete in isolation, continuing into 15.4 (which supplies the next action and goal). Translation differences mainly concern (a) whether ‘in this world’ (iha) is taken as epistemic limitation or ontological description, and (b) whether ‘weapon’ (śastra) is read strictly metaphorically (discipline/insight) or as a figurative extension of renunciant practice. Minor orthographic variants occur (e.g., saṃpratiṣṭhā/saṃpratiṣṭhāṃ), without major doctrinal impact.
FAQs
The verse depicts ordinary experience as hard to grasp in its full structure—people rarely see a clear ‘beginning, end, or stable ground’ for their patterns of desire and identity. The recommended ‘weapon’ is non-attachment: cultivating distance from compulsive craving, which loosens entrenched habits and reduces cognitive-emotional entanglement.
Within the chapter’s aśvattha-tree metaphor, conditioned existence is portrayed as lacking a discoverable ultimate ground when approached through empirical perception alone. ‘Cutting’ it indicates a transformative shift—through detachment and insight—away from identification with the transient network of causes and effects, toward the unconditioned principle discussed in the surrounding verses.
Chapter 15 presents a symbolic map of worldly existence and the path beyond it. Verse 15.3 emphasizes that the true nature of this structure is not readily perceived and introduces the method—asaṅga (non-attachment)—which is then carried forward in 15.4, where the seeker is urged to pursue the state/goal from which there is no return.
As a practical ethic of attention, the verse can be read as advising people to examine the roots of their attachments (status, possessions, fixed self-images) and to practice letting go where these produce distress or rigidity. In contemporary terms, this aligns with reflective practices that reduce over-identification—such as mindful observation, value-based restraint, and deliberate simplification.