विप्रो वृक्षस्तस्य मूलं च सन्ध्या वेदाः शाखा धर्मकर्माणि पत्रम्। तस्मान्मूलं यत्नतो रक्षणीयं छिन्ने मूले नैव शाखा न पत्रम्॥
vipro vṛkṣas tasya mūlaṃ ca sandhyā vedāḥ śākhā dharmakarmāṇi patram । tasmāt mūlaṃ yatnato rakṣaṇīyaṃ chinne mūle naiva śākhā na patram ॥
Meaning of Vipro Vṛkṣas Tasya Mūlaṃ
A wise person is like a tree. The root of that tree of knowledge is daily worship. The Vedas are its branches, and good deeds are its leaves. Therefore, the root must be carefully protected, because if the root is destroyed, neither the branches nor the leaves will survive.
Word by word
- विप्रःvipraḥ
the brahmin
विप्र
- वृक्षःvṛkṣaḥ
is a tree
वृक्ष
- तस्य मूलम्tasya mūlam
its root
मूल
- च सन्ध्याca sandhyā
is the sandhya prayer
सम् + √ध्या
- वेदाः शाखाःvedāḥ śākhāḥ
the Vedas are its branches
√विद् + शाखा
- धर्मकर्माणिdharmakarmāṇi
dharmic acts
धर्म + कर्मन्
- पत्रम्patram
the leaves
पत्र
- तस्मात्tasmāt
therefore
तद्
- मूलम् यत्नतःmūlaṁ yatnataḥ
the root, with care
मूल + √यत्
- रक्षणीयम्rakṣaṇīyam
must be guarded
√रक्ष्
- छिन्ने मूलेchinne mūle
when the root is cut
√छिद्
- न एव शाखा न पत्रम्naiva śākhā na patram
neither branch nor leaf remains
Commentary
This verse uses the organic metaphor of a tree to explain the structure of a spiritual and intellectual life. Just as a tree cannot exist without its roots, a wise person’s knowledge (Vedas) and actions (Dharma) cannot flourish without a foundation of regular spiritual practice (Sandhya). It serves as a reminder to prioritize the foundational values and practices that sustain our growth and character. The shared meaning renders vipra as any learned person. The verse builds its image around the brahmin's daily observance, with sandhyā as the root and the Vedas as branches; the broader reading is defensible, but the text's own subject is specific.
Original Post
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View source pageप्रभूतं कार्यमल्पं वा यन्नरः कर्तुमिच्छति। सर्वारम्भेण तत्कार्यं सिंहादेकं प्रचक्षते॥
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A Chanakya Niti verse teaching that every task, great or small, should be undertaken with complete dedication, like the focused effort of a lion.
जलबिन्दुनिपातेन क्रमशः पूर्यते घटः। स हेतुः सर्वविद्यानां धर्मस्य च धनस्य च॥
jalabindunipātena kramaśaḥ pūryate ghaṭaḥ । sa hetuḥ sarvavidyānāṁ dharmasya ca dhanasya ca ॥
A classic nīti verse on steady accumulation: small, regular efforts gradually build knowledge, dharma, and prosperity just as a pot fills one drop at a time.
विद्वान् प्रशस्यते लोके विद्वान् सर्वत्र गौरवम्। विद्यया लभते सर्वं विद्या सर्वत्र पूज्यते॥
vidvān praśasyate loke vidvān sarvatra gauravam । vidyayā labhate sarvaṃ vidyā sarvatra pūjyate ॥
A verse extolling the universal honor that knowledge brings. The learned are praised everywhere, and through knowledge one can attain all of life's goals.
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nityaṃ paricareccaiva tadvai sukṛtamuttamam । kīrtiṃ puṇyaṃ yaśo lokān prāpsyase rājasattama ॥
Daily service is praised as an excellent deed that brings merit, renown and higher realms.
ज्ञानवांश्च तथा वाग्मी कर्मस्वपि च निष्ठितः। एवं युक्तोऽपि न श्रेयान् यदि शीलविवर्जितः॥
jñānavāṃśca tathā vāgmī karmasvapi ca niṣṭhitaḥ । evaṃ yukto'pi na śreyān yadi śīlavivarjitaḥ ॥
Knowledge, eloquence, and skill in work do not make a person worthy of esteem if good character is absent.
स्वे स्वे कर्मण्यभिरतः संसिद्धिं लभते नरः। स्वकर्मनिरतः सिद्धिं यथा विन्दति तच्छृणु॥
sve sve karmaṇyabhirataḥ saṁsiddhiṁ labhate naraḥ । svakarmanirataḥ siddhiṁ yathā vindati tacchṛṇu ॥
The Bhagavad Gita teaches that devotion to one's own work is a path to perfection.