na roopamasyeha tathaapalabhyate naanto na chaadirna cha sampratishthaa |
ashvatthamenam suviroodhamoolamsangashastrena dridhena chhittvaa || 3 ||
 
Its form is not available here, neither its beginning nor its end, not its existence. Having cut this firm-rooted Ashvattha tree using the robust weapon of dispassion.
 
na : not
roopam : form
asya : this
iha : here
tathaa : like
upalabhyate : available
na : no
antaha : end
na : not
cha : and
aadihi : beginning
na : not
cha : and
sampratishthaa : existence
ashvattham : ashvattha tree
suviroodhamoolam : with firm roots
asangashastrena : weapon of dispassion
dridhena : robust
chittvaa : having cut
 
Most of us love to see the image of planet earth from space. The majesty of that image captured by countless satellites over the years never fails to attract us. But without those satellites, we would never know that the earth looks like it does, because we did not have the means to see the big picture by oursleves. Or take a factory worker employed in a multi billion dollar multinational. All he gets to see is his machine for eight to ten hours a day. Except the CEO and a few other senior people, no one has the big picture view of the complex organization available.
 
Similarly, Shri Krishna says that most of us do not have the big picture view of our existence in this world. We simply live out our lives in the endless chain of attraction to sense objects, desire, action, result and further desire. To lift us out of this narrow view of life, he very compassionately gives us the illustration of the tree of samsaara in the previous two shlokas.
 
He very clearly states that no matter who we are, whether rich or poor, educated or uneducated, fit or sick, we are all entangled in this upside down tree of samsaara. We never see our existence as it really is. We do not see its beginning, middle or end. It is in fact, a gigantic illusion that has been given reality due to the long standing ignorance of our true nature.
 
The message of this shloka carries over into the next shloka.