Krishna Shows the Vishvarupa by Unknown Pahari painter
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There is a fig-tree, known in ages old, with roots above and boughs beneath, whose leaves are Vedic hymns
KrishnaBhagavad Gita · Chapter 1515.1
Jnana Yoga
Path of Knowledge · Chapter 15 of 18
The Three PathsVerse 15.1
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Path of Action
Ch 1–6
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Path of Devotion
Ch 7–12
Jnana Yoga
Path of Knowledge
Ch 13–18
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Krishna presents the famous image of the cosmic fig tree (Ashvattha): its roots are above in Brahman, its branches spread downward into the world, nourished by the gunas. Its leaves are the Vedic hymns. No one can see its full form. The wise must cut this tree with the axe of non-attachment to reach the eternal.

Why This Matters

The inverted Ashvattha tree — an ancient Vedic image of the cosmos with roots in heaven and branches below, representing the world of illusion.

cosmic treemayatranscendence
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Krishna Shows the Vishvarupa
Unknown Pahari painter, 1800 · Public Domain
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