Bhagavad Gita · Purushottama YogaChapter 15, Shloka 3 (15.3)
Original Sanskrit · श्रीभगवान्
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते
नान्तो न चाऽऽदिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूलम्
असङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा
॥ 15.3 ॥
na rūpamasyeha tathopalabhyate
nānto na cā''dirna ca sampratiṣṭhā
aśvatthamenaṃ suvirūḍhamūlam
asaṅgaśastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā
Translation
"Its form is not seen here as it is — neither its end, nor its beginning, nor its foundation. Cutting down this deep-rooted ashvattha with the strong axe of asanga (non-attachment) —" (the sentence continues in 15.4)
Interpretation
Shankaracharya. svapnamarīcyudakamāyāgandharvanagarasamatvāt dṛṣṭanaṣṭasvarūpo hi sa iti — like a dream, a mirage, a magic show, a city of the gandharvas — seen and then vanishing; na antaḥ … na ca ādiḥ … na ca saṃpratiṣṭhā.
Acharya Ramanuja (15.3–15.4 together): yathā idaṃ rūpaṃ nirdiṣṭaṃ na tathā saṃsāribhiḥ upalabhyate; manuṣyaḥ aham … — worldly people do not see it as it has been described; they think "I am a human being" — the true nature of the tree is not seen.
Shridhara Swami. asaṅgaḥ saṅgarāhityam ahaṃmamatātyāgaḥ — asanga = giving up "I" and "mine"; dṛḍhena vairāgyeṇa śastreṇa — the axe of firm dispassion.
Madhusudana Saraswati. Why the form of the world is not seen: svapnamarīcyudakamāyāgandharvanagaravan mṛṣātvena dṛṣṭanaṣṭasvarūpatvāt — because, like a dream, the water of a mirage, or a city of illusion, it appears and then vanishes. And it has no beginning or end: aparyantatvāt … anāditvāt.
Madhvacharya. The axe of non-attachment = saṅgarāhityasahitena jñānena — knowledge free of attachment; and cutting = chedaś ca vimarśa eva — cutting means vimarsha (deep reflection).
AI-assisted draft translation — under review.