Then Arjuna said, “How did it come by this name? What is the reason for that name, Svāmī? Could it not have been given some other name?” Kṛṣṇa explained, “Arjuna! A wondrous tree has a wondrous name; that is the wonder here. Listen! Aśvattha means impermanent, momentary. In the world this is what people call the rāvi tree. Its fruits and flowers are of no use, either to eat or to smell. Not only that, its leaves are always moving, and the tree grows vast. It has another name too: it is also called ‘caladala’, meaning ‘that which has moving leaves’. The things of the world, too, are ceaselessly in motion. To show that the world is impermanent and fruitless, it was given the name aśvattha. To teach Vairāgya toward the world, to give the upward vision, and to establish steadfastness in Brahman: that alone is the purpose of this world.”