Bhagavad-gītā 15.2
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः।अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके।।15.2।।
adhaśh chordhvaṁ prasṛitās tasya śhākhā guṇa-pravṛiddhā viṣhaya-pravālāḥ adhaśh cha mūlāny anusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣhya-loke
Below and above spread its branches, nourished by the Gunas; sense-objects are its buds; and below in the world of man stretch forth the roots, action.
English rendering by Swami Swarupananda. Public domain first edition, 1909.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| adhaḥ | downward |
| cha | and |
| ūrdhvam | upward |
| prasṛitāḥ | extended |
| tasya | its |
| śhākhāḥ | branches |
| guṇa | modes of material nature |
| pravṛiddhāḥ | nourished |
| viṣhaya | objects of the senses |
| pravālāḥ | buds |
| adhaḥ | downward |
| cha | and |
| mūlāni | roots |
| anusantatāni | keep growing |
| karma | actions |
| anubandhīni | bound |
| manuṣhya-loke | in the world of humans |
Read the Sanskrit as a connected thought built from adhaḥ (downward), viṣhaya (objects of the senses), and manuṣhya-loke (in the world of humans). Ask what changes between the first and last term, and how that movement contributes to the world tree and the person beyond it. State the connection in your own words, then check it against Bhagavad-gita 15.2.
Original school explanation. Written independently from the Sanskrit word map. It is not a quotation, translation, or summary of a named modern commentary. Chapter lens: Follow the inverted tree image, the distinction of persons, the embodied journey, divine support and Puruṣottama.
Five careful reading routes
The cards below are reading references, not claims about what an acharya says in this verse. Modern wording stays inside authorized editions. Classical commentary will appear only after an independent translation has passed scholarly and rights review.
Meaning map
Follow the thought
- 1
Below and above spread its branches, nourished by the Gunas
- 2
sense-objects are its buds
- 3
and below in the world of man stretch forth the roots, action
Look, link, cover, teach
Look
Picture the inverted tree.
Link
Use the line starts: adhaśh chordhvaṁ / guṇa-pravṛiddhā viṣhaya-pravālāḥ / adhaśh cha / karmānubandhīni manuṣhya-loke.
Cover
Hide the verse and rebuild one line at a time.
Teach
Explain the flow to another person without looking.
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A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bhagavad-gita As It IsFor Bhagavad-gita 15.2, consult the authorized BBT edition. No purport, translation, or author-attributed summary is reproduced here.
Find the authorized editionBhaktivinoda Thakura
Rasika-ranjanaA verified independent rendering for Bhagavad-gita 15.2 has not yet passed scholarly and rights review. Modern translations are not copied here.
Independent rendering pending reviewBaladeva Vidyabhushana
Gita-bhushana-bhashyaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 15.2 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewVishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura
Sarartha-varshini-tikaThe original work is classical. A newly commissioned or independently prepared translation for Bhagavad-gita 15.2 must be verified before publication.
Independent translation pending reviewOther Gaudiya acharyas
Authorized Gaudiya editionsFor Bhagavad-gita 15.2, later teachers remain a further-reading route. Their wording and distinctive teaching structures require permission or a separate rights review.
Use an authorized edition