📿 Shloka Collection

Ashvatthah Sarvavrikshanam

Gita 10.26 Bhagavad Gita
📖 Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 10 — Vibhuti Yoga
अश्वत्थः सर्ववृक्षाणां देवर्षीणां च नारदः ।
गन्धर्वाणां चित्ररथः सिद्धानां कपिलो मुनिः ॥
Ashvatthah sarvavrkshanam devarshinam cha naradah,
Gandharvaanam chitrathah siddhanam kapilo munih.
अश्वत्थः
the Ashvattha — the sacred fig (peepal) tree
सर्ववृक्षाणाम्
among all trees
देवर्षीणाम् च
and among the divine sages
नारदः
Narada
गन्धर्वाणाम्
among the Gandharvas (celestial musicians)
चित्ररथः
Chitraratha
सिद्धानाम्
among the Siddhas (perfected beings)
कपिलः मुनिः
Kapila Muni

The Ashvattha — the sacred peepal tree — holds a revered place in Hindu tradition. In Chapter 15, Krishna will use it as a metaphor for the entire cosmos. Here, He names it as the foremost among trees. A tree that gives shade to travellers, that is worshipped at village crossroads, that stands for generations — the divine lives in it.

Narada — the divine sage who travels through all three worlds chanting Narayana-Narayana — is the foremost symbol of bhakti. Kapila Muni is the founder of the Sankhya school of philosophy. Knowledge and devotion both find their place in the vibhuti list. Neither is excluded.

The Ashvattha also appears in Gita 15.1, where it represents the world-tree. Here in 10.26, it is named as a vibhuti. Both references together show the tree's dual significance — a symbol and a manifestation.

Narada was also cited by Arjuna in 10.13 as an authority. Here in 10.26, he becomes a vibhuti himself. This internal threading between shlokas is a hallmark of the Gita's composition.

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