VERSE 1
ऊर्ध्वमूलमधः शाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्‌ ।
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित्‌ ॥

sri-bhagavan uvaca
urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham
asvattham prahur avyayam
chandamsi yasya parnani
yas tam veda sa veda-vit

SYNONYMS
śrī bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; ūrdhva-mūlam—with roots above; adhaḥ—downwards; śākham—branches; aśvattham—banyan tree; prāhuḥ—said; avyayam—eternal; chandāṁsi—Vedic hymns; yasya—of which; parṇāni—the leaves; yaḥ—anyone; tam—that; veda—knows; saḥ—he; veda-vit—the knower of the Vedas.

TRANSLATION
The Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.

VERSE 2
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः ।
अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके ॥

adhas cordhvam prasrtas tasya sakha
guna-pravrddha visaya-pravalah
adhas ca mulany anusantatani
karmanubandhini manusya-loke

SYNONYMS
adhaḥ—downward; ca—and; ūrdhvam—upward; prasṛtāḥ—extended; tasya—its; śākhāḥ—branches; guṇa—modes of material nature; pravṛddhāḥ—developed; viṣaya—sense objects; pravālāḥ—twigs; adhaḥ—downward; ca—and; mūlāni—roots; anusantatāni—extended; karma—according to work; anubandhīni—bound; manuṣya-loke—in the world of human society.

TRANSLATION
The branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to the fruitive actions of human society.

VERSE 3-4
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा ।
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूल मसङ्‍गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा ॥
ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः ।
तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी ॥

na rupam asyeha tathopalabhyate
nanto na cadir na ca sampratistha
asvattham enam su-virudha-mulam
asanga-sastrena drdhena chittva
tatah padam tat parimargitavyam
yasmin gata na nivartanti bhuyah
tam eva cadyam purusam prapadye
yatah pravrttih prasrta purani

SYNONYMS
na—not; rūpam—form; asya—of this tree; iha—in this; tathā—also; upalabhyate—can be perceived; na—never; antaḥ—end; na—never; ca—also; ādiḥ—beginning; na—never; ca—also; sampratiṣṭhā—the foundation; aśvattham—banyan tree; enam—this; suvirūḍha—strongly; mūlam—rooted; asaṅga-śastreṇa—by the weapon of detachment; dṛḍhena—strong; chittvā—by cutting; tataḥ—thereafter; padam—situation; tat—that; parimārgitavyam—has to be searched out; yasmin—where; gatāḥ—going; na—never; nivartanti—comes back; bhūyaḥ—again; tam—to him; eva—certainly; ca—also; ādyam—original; puruṣam—the Personality of Godhead; prapadye—surrender; yataḥ—from whom; pravṛttiḥ—beginning; prasṛtā—extension; purāṇī—very old.

TRANSLATION
The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. But with determination one must cut down this tree with the weapon of detachment. So doing, one must seek that place from which, having once gone, one never returns, and there surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything has begun and in whom everything is abiding since time immemorial.