न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा | अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूलम् असङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा || ३ ||
na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate nānto na cādir na ca sampratiṣṭhā aśvattham enaṁ su-virūḍha-mūlam asaṅga-śastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā
na—not; rūpam—form; asya—of this tree; iha—here; tathā—thus; upalabhyate—is perceived; na—never; antaḥ—end; na—never; ca—also; ādiḥ—beginning; na—never; ca—also; sampratiṣṭhā—foundation; aśvattham—the banyan tree; enam—this; su-virūḍha—strongly; mūlam—rooted; asaṅga-śastreṇa—by the weapon of detachment; dṛḍhena—strong; chittvā—cutting.
“The real form of this tree is not perceived in this world. No one can comprehend its beginning, end, or foundation. Cut down this firmly rooted tree with the strong axe of detachment.”
The tree of samsara is a mystery—its exact nature cannot be grasped through the senses or ordinary intellect. It has no beginning that can be traced, no end that can be seen, and no stable foundation. The only solution is to cut it down entirely with the sharp sword of non-attachment (vairagya), not merely to prune its branches.
You cannot fully understand or intellectually solve the problem of samsara—the world's cycle of attachment and suffering. What you can do is practice non-attachment: when a craving, fear, or compulsion arises, pause and meet it with detached awareness rather than reaction. Each moment of non-attachment is a swing of the axe that gradually frees you.