Meaning
Supreme God Krishna spoke
The character of this World Tree is strange—it is not found the way it is said to be, its beginning and end are hard to decipher, and it is precariously perched {on the border of existence and non-existence}. Therefore, by cutting down this firmly rooted tree with the axe of non-attachment, (15:3)
Sanskrit
श्रीभगवान् उवाच
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा ।
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूलं असङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा॥
Word-by-word
न रूपम् अस्य इह तथा उप-लभ्यते,
न अन्तः, न च आदिः, न च सम्-प्रतिष्ठा; अश्वत्थम् एनम्, सु-विरूढ-मूलम्, असङ्ग- शस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा;
Commentary
This world is at times referred to as God’s dream, nestled within the mind of God due to its fragile existence. An illustrative moment from the journey of Prince Rāma, when he and his wife Sitā rest on the forest floor, finds the leader of the Nishāda clan in sorrow. Prince Lakshmana, Rāma’s younger brother, offers solace, saying, “In a dream, a king may become a beggar, or a pauper may ascend to heavenly lordship, yet no actual gain or loss transpires from such journeys. Likewise, this spectacle should be witnessed with the heart, not merely the eyes.