Lord Krishna
Divine TeacherThe Supreme Lord, the charioteer and divine guide of Arjuna. Krishna delivers the eternal wisdom of the Gita, revealing the nature of the soul, duty, and the path to liberation.
Speaking: Chapter 15, Verse 3
Verse 3
The Yoga of the Supreme Person
The real form of this tree is not perceived here, nor its end, nor its beginning, nor its foundation. Having cut down this deeply rooted Ashvattha tree with the strong sword of non-attachment —
Context & Meaning
This is the axe verse — a turning point. The tree of samsara cannot be seen clearly from within it. Standing among its branches, we cannot perceive its true form, its beginning, its end, or where it is truly rooted. The entire structure of the conditioned world is opaque to the conditioned mind. What then is the solution? Not analysis, not clever doctrine — but the sword of non-attachment (asanga). Asanga means non-clinging, non-adhesion — the inner freedom of one who engages fully with life without being captured by it. This sword must be dṛḍha — firm, unwavering. Half-hearted detachment merely prunes the tree; firm non-attachment severs it at the root.
Scholar Commentaries
1 commentary · Public domainMadhvacharya
DvaitaThe tree has no visible foundation from within itself — because its root is the Supreme, which is beyond the perception of those who remain attached to its branches. Asanga — non-attachment — is the only instrument sharp enough, because attachment is precisely what sustains the tree's grip on the soul. Only in devotion to God does true non-attachment become possible.