श्री भगवानुवाच
ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्।
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित्।।15.1।।
15.1 The Blessed Lord said They say that the peepul Tree, which has its roots upward and the branches downward, and of which the Vedas are the leaves, is imperishable. He who realizes it is knower of the Vedas.
15.1 The Blessed Lord said They (the wise) speak of the indestructible peepul tree having its root above and branches below, whose leaves are the metres or hymns: he who knows it is a knower of the Vedas.
15.1. The Bhagavat said [The scriptures] speak of a non-perishing holy Fig-tree, which has root that is high (or above) and branches that are low (or below) and of which the [Vedic] hymns are leaves-he who knows this (Tree) is the knower of the Vedas;
15.1 ऊर्ध्वमूलम् rooted above? अधःशाखम् branches below? अश्वत्थम् the Asvattha? प्राहुः they speak of? अव्ययम् indestructible? छन्दांसि metres or hymns? यस्य of which? पर्णानि leaves? यः who? तम् that? वेद knows? सः he? वेदवित् is the knower of the Vedas.Commentary The description of the universe as a peepul tree is only metaphorical. This peepul is said to be eternal because it cannot be cut except by the axe of knowledge.All persons depend upon the Lord for the fruits of their actions? because He alone knows the right relation between the actions and their fruits. He alone is the dispenser of the fruits of actions of human beings. The wise persons also depend upon the Lord for the fruit of their knowledge. The Lord alone removes the veil of ignorance through His grace and mercy. The inclination for Advaita Vedantic Sadhana arises through the Lords grace. The desire for the realisation of the Oneness is produced in the minds of wise men by the grace of the Lord? which is the antidote to all fears. (Avadhuta Gita? I.1)Those who serve the Lord with unswerving or singleminded devotion go beyond the three alities of Nature through His grace. They attain knowledge of the Self through the grace of the Lord and get release from the round of birth and death. Those who have a right understanding of the real nature of Brahman or the Supreme Being also get emancipation easily.The Lord teaches Arjuna in this discourse about the real nature of Brahman or the Supreme Self and the path that leads the soul to union with Him. The Lord describes the nature of Samsara or worldly life as a peepul tree in order to create nonattachment or dispassion? because he who is endowed with true and lasting dispassion alone is fit for attaining the knowledge of the Self. Samsara is compared to a tree. because it can be cut off like a tree.All the other trees have their roots below? but this peculiar? strange and most wonderful tree of Samsara (Maya) has its root above? in Brahman. This peepul tree is different from all other trees. Brahman is the resting place or support of everything. It is eternal. It is great. It is the most high. It is the Supreme Being. It is supreme over all things. It is the source of everything. Therefore it is said that It is the One above. This One above is the root of this tree of Samsara. Brahan Who is superior to all is Urdhva. That which has Brahman as its cause is Urdhvamulam.In the Puranas it is said The tree of the Unmanifest has sprung from Brahman. Buddhi is its trunk? the senseopenings are its hollows? the great elements its boughs? the senseobjects its leaves and branches? Dharma and Adhrama (virtue and vice) its beautiful flowers? pleasure and pain its fruits. Having cut asunder this tree with the powerful sword of the knowledge of the Self? and then having attained to the eternal bliss of Brahman? no one comes back from there again.Brahman is the root of this tree. It is the upper part of this tree and so It is called Urdhva. In reality there are no distinctions such as upward? downward or middle in the One Which is the indivisible unity.The name Asvattha is usually derived from Asvattha which means not standing or enduring or remaining till tomorrow. A means not Sva means tomorrow Ttha means remaining. This is ite an appropriate word for this worldtree which is ever changing and passing away.In the Katha Upanishad also there is a mention about this Asvattha tree (II.6.1). The Gita is an essence of the Upanishads only.Samsara is generally understood by the common people as meaning remaining surrounded by ones wife and children and doing ones daily duties. This is a restricted or narrow meaning. Samsara means the whole worldprocess or the cosmic manifestation or the everchanging phenomenal world. Hiranyagarbha? the individual souls? the cosmic intelligence? egoism? the rootelements? etc.? represent the brancehs of this tree of Samsara. They extend downwards. They evolve into grosser and grosser states. Therefore it is said that the tree has its branches below. Egoism is the sprout which goes downwards in three directions? viz.? the three alities of Nature.Mind is the offshoot. Then come the five elements? viz.? earth? water? fire? air and ether? and the five organs of knowledge. Then comes sound which stimulates the ears to hear sweet music. Then comes touch which stimulates the skin to enjoy soft things. Then comes form which stimultaes the eye to behold beautiful objects. Then comes taste which stimulates the tongue to enjoy palatable things. Then comes smell which stimulates the nose to enjoy fragrant and scented objects.From the roots of actions with expectation of fruits a new branch of rirth comes up. The mineral kingdom? the vegetable kingdom? the animal kingdom and the human kingdom are all branches of this tree of Samsara. Man does good and evil actions with the help of the body and takes births to experience the fruits thereof. The human body is the water for this tree of Samsara.The body itself is the peepul tree. The root is the cerrospinal nervous system (brain). The various nerves are the branches that ramify downwards to the various organs distributed over the body.Avyaya Eternal? because this tree rests on an unbroken seires of births without beginning and end it is thus eternal. It can be cut down by the sword of knowledge of Brahman. Just as the leaves of a tree protect it? so also the Vedas protect this tree of Samsara? treating of virtue and vice? with their causes and fruits.He who knows this tree of Samsara and its roots as described above is a knower of the Vedas. He is a knower of the teachings of the Vedas. Not even an iota remains to be known beyond this tree of Samsara and its root. He who knows it is omniscient. The Lord has eulogised the knowledge of the tree of Samsara and its root in order to encourage aspirants to acire this knowledge.
15.1 Urdhva-mulam, that which has its roots upwards:- Brahman, possessed of the unmanifest power in the form of Maya, is referred to by the word upward because of Its subtleness in point of time by virtue of Its being the Cause, and also because of Its eternality and vastness; and That is the root (mulam) of this world. The Tree of the World which is such, is urdhva-mulam. This accords with the Upanisadic text, This has its roots above and branches below (Ka. 2.6.1). In the Purana also we have: It sprouts from the Root in the form of the Unmanifest; it grows through the sturdiness of that very One. And it has abundance of intelligence as its trunk, and the appertures of the organs as the hollows. The great elements are its boughs [A.G. takes the word visakha (boughs) in the sense of stambha, perhaps meaning the aerial roots.-Tr.]; so also, it has the objects of perception as its leaves. It has virtue and vice as its beautiful flowers, and happiness and sorrow are the fruits it bears. This eternal Tree presided over by Brahman is a means of livelihood to all creatures. And this verily is the resort of Brahman [Or, etat brahma-vanam means: This Tree has Brahman as its object of adoration, its support. For, the world has nothing but Brahman as its support.] in it Brahman dwells for ever. Having felled and split this Tree with the great sword of Knowledge, and then attaining the bliss of the Self, one does not return from that (bliss). (Cf. Mbh. As. 47.12-15.) That Tree which has its roots upwards and is constituted by the enchantment of mundane existence, and adhah-sakham, which has the branches downwards-mahat, [See under 7.4.-Tr.] egoism, subtle elements, etc. are its branches (sakhah), as it were, extending downwards (adhah); so, it has its branches downwards-; that Tree with its branches downwards, which does not (a) last (stha) even for the morrow (svah), is asvatthah (lit. Peepul tree). Ahuh, they say; that the asvatthah, Peepul Tree, undergoing destruction every moment; is avyayam, imperishable, and constituted by the enchantments of mundane existence. Having been in existence from time without beginning, that Tree of the World is imperishable. It is, indeed, will known as the sustainer of the beginningless and ceaseless series of bodies etc. They call that the imperishable. Of that very Tree of the World here is another alification: Yasya, that Tree of the World of which; chandamsi-chandas being derived in the sense of covering (protecting)-, the Vedas in the form of Rk, Yajus and Sama; are the parnani, leaves, as it were. As leaves serve as protectors of a tree, so the Vedas serve as the protectors of the world; for they reveal what are virtue and vice as also their causes and results. Yah, he who; veda, knows; tam, that-the Tree of the World along with its root, as has been explained; sah, he; is a vedavit, knower of the Vedas, i.e. versed in the meaning of the Vedas. Since, apart from this Tree of the World along with its root, not even an iota of any other thing remains to be known, therefore he who knows the purport of the Vedas is omniscient. In this way the Lord euligizes the knowledge of the Tree together with its root. An imagery of the other parts of that very Tree of the World is being presented:
15.1 See Comment under 15.2
15.1 The Lord said The Vedas speak of the imperishable Asvattha tree called Samsara, which has its roots above and branches below, in such passages as the following: This Asvattha tree with its roots above and branches below is eternal (Ka. U., 6.1), and He who knows the tree with its roots above and branches below (Tai. A., 1.11.5). It has its roots above since it has its roots in Brahma (the Creator otherwise known as Hiranyagarbha) who is seated above the seven worlds. It has branches below ending with denizens like men, animals, beasts, worms, insects, birds and immovables. It is immutable since it cannot be felled, being of the form of a continual flow. It can be felled only at the dawn of perfect knowledge which causes detachment. They say that the leaves of this Asvattha tree constitute the Vedas. The Vedas are said to be the leaves, since this tree of Samsara increases by actions prompted by worldly desires as taught in certain Srutis as, He who desires prosperity should sacrifice a white animal to Vayu (Taitt. Sam., 2.1.1) and The desirer of offspring shall offer to Indra and Agni a sacrifice with eleven cups of rice-cakes (Ibid., 2.2.1). Indeed the tree flourishes with the help of leaves. He who knows the Asvattha of such a nature knows the Vedas. The Vedas also set forth the means of felling this tree of Samsara. He who understands this is called the knower of the Vedas, since knowledge of the nature of the tree to be cut off is helpful to the knowledge concerning the means of felling the tree. This tree spreads downward with men etc., who are the products of their Karma, as branches. It again spreads above into Gandharvas, Yaksas, gods, etc. They are nourished by the Gunas of Sattva etc. They have tender shoots augmented by sense-objects. How does this happen? Sri Krsna explains:
The fifteenth chapter states that detachment is the cause of cessation of birth, that the soul is an amsa of the Lord, and that Krsna is superior to matter and the jiva. The second to last verse of the last chapter stated that by bhakti yoga one attains the status of brahman: mam ca yo ‘vyabhicarena bhakti-yogena sevate sa gunan samatityaitan brahma-bhuyaya kalpate BG 14.26 The question may be asked “How does a person attain brahman by bhakti yoga rendered to the Lord possessing a human form?” True, I am human in form, but I am the basis of brahman, the supreme shelter of brahman. This statement, which functions as a sutra, forms the beginning of chapter fifteen. You said that the devotee, surpassing the gunas (sa gunan samatitya), attains the status of brahman. What is this material world made of the gunas? Where did the thread begin? Who is that jiva who surpasses samsara by devotion to you? You also spoke of the jiva being qualified for brahman (brahma-bhuyaya kalpate). What is that brahman? And who are you, the basis of the brahman? Anticipating these questions, the Lord now speaks. First, with use of a metaphor, the material world made of gunas is compared to an asvattha tree. Above all planets, in Satyaloka, lives four-headed Brahma, who is the one root of the tree of the material world, who is composed of mahat tattva, the first sprout from prakrti (urdhva mula). The branches of the tree are below, composed of devas, gandharvas, kinnaras, asuras, raksasa, pretas, bhutas, humans, cows, horses and such beasts, birds, insects, worms, moths, and immobile creatures at the bottom, in the realms of svah, bhuvah and bhu loka. This asvattha tree is the best tree because it lets one fulfill one’s goals of artha, dharma, kama and moksa. But according to viewpoint of bhakti, asvah means that which will not last till tomorrow (a= not, svah= tomorrow). Asvattha therefore means that which is bound to perish. For the non-devotees however, it appears to be indestructible (avyayam). Chandamsi refers to the Vedas, which expound karma in such verses as the following: vayavyam svetam alabheta bhumikam Desiring wealth and power one should sacrifice a white horse in the northwest. Taittiriya Samhita 2.1.1.1 aindram ekadasaka-palam nirvapet prajakamah Desiring offspring one should offer eleven oblations in the east. Baudhayana Srauta Sutras 13.2.120.7 Because they expand the bondage of the material world they are called the leaves (parnani). With these leaves the tree becomes attractive. He who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas. Katha valli sruti says: urdhva-mulo’vak-sakha eso’ svatthah sanatanah This eternal asvattha tree has its root is upwards and branches downwards. Katha Upanisad 2.3.1
Without dispassion spiritual knowledge will not be able to manifest. Therefore the Supreme Lord Krishna clearly delineates the science of spiritual knowledge together with dispassion. In the last two verses of the previous chapter he has emphasized unwavering devotion unto the Supreme Lord which awards entrance into the consciousness of the eternal, imperishable brahman by His grace. But as it is impossible for one bereft of dispassion to ever achieve spiritual knowledge, the compassionate Supreme Lord first expounds the nature of this mundane material existence by the metaphor of asvattha or banyan tree with its roots upwards and its branches downwards and its leaves the Vedic aphorisms. The roots above refers to the root of all the eternal Supreme Lord and the imperishable atma or immortal soul. The branches downward refers to transitory living entities consisiting of the demigods headed by Brahma, who all have a finite span of life in material existence even if they live for millions and billions of years. Transitory is another meaning of asvattha and for the devotees of the Supreme Lord the material world may not last even unto tomorrow. That which lasts until tommorrow is known as stvattha so asvattha is that which will not last until tomorrow. It is avyayam or indestuctible because it is like a continuous stream although ever changing it never stops. The Katha Upanisad III.I beginning urdhva mulo avak shakha states: There is an ancient banyan tree whose roots are above and branches are below. Whose leaves are the Vedas refers to aphorisms in the Vedic scriptures which propound the activities which should be done and the activities which should not be done by human beings. The absolute authority of the Vedic scriptures establish the criteria for all living entities and confirms that this mundane tree provides sanctuary to all living beings by the results of their karmas or reactions to actions which can be compared to the shade of their leaves. One who comprehends this ancient banyan tree with this understanding is therefore spiritually knowledgeable and is praised as a knower of the teachings of the Vedic scriptures.
Hari OM! The nature of what is known as freedom or bondage in samsara or the perpetual cycle of birth and death is delineated in this chapter by Lord Krishna. The word urdhva means above as in superior to. The Supreme Lord is the superior quality abiding in all virtues. He is superior principle residing within the atma or immortal soul. Urdhva means paramount in all respects. The word andhah means below and is base, mundane and even vile. The branches refer to the jivas or embodied beings who are subjected to transmigration in samsara and they include the demigods also headed by Brahma who lives for billions of years. Although asvattha refers to a banyan tree another meaning is everlasting in the sense that it exists in a continuous stream without changing even though innumerable myriads of jivas are coming and going incessantly. But their coming and going does not change its nature. Whatever form and function it had in the beginning of creation that form and function it will have at all times throughout creation. So that is why it is known as everlasting and indestructible. The word chamdamsi refers to the leaves of the tree which are the aphorisms of the Vedic scriptures which propunds what actions in life are to be performed and what activities are to be performed and the results of violating or adhering to the Vedic injunctions determines the karma or reactions to actions that one will have to experience in joy or misery. These reactions are like the fruits of a tree which can never come about without the leaves. Now begins the summation. Hari! Hari OM! What was briefly mentioned in chapter 13 is now elaborated upon by Lord Krishna with further clarification. The roots being distinctly above refer to the Supreme Lord as the universal tree even as the Earth representing prakriti or the material substratum pervading physical existence is the reflection of this tree. Attributes of consciousness represent the primary roots while non-consciousness are the secondary roots. Here the Vedic association of consciousness and unconsciousness as being similar to a tree is well known. The Earth like the demigods activates the conscious and the Supreme Lord becomes the stable and eternal root. The unconscious who are base and vile are put in bondage by a great sense of false ego get attracted by their senses and attached to the elements. The chamdamsi or leaves are the karma due to activity and the fruits are desires such as name, fame, wealth and moksa or liberation from material existence. Another meaning of chamdamsi is to unseal. Thus the words of the Vedic scriptures are called chandas or that which unseals the esoteric meaning of the eternal wisdom of the Vedas.
In the previous chapter the Supreme Lord Krishna expounded upon: 1) The jiva or embodied beings relationship with matter in both its subtle and physical forms due to attraction to sense objects and subsequent attachment and the karma or reactions to ones own actions thereof along with the karma from the types of food one has eaten determines the physical body one receives in the next life. 2) The manner in detail how the association with the three gunas or modes of material nature keeps a jiva enslaved in material existence is given in verses 6 to 25. 3) The method by which a jiva is able to overcome and transcend the three gunas and assume ones actual spiritual position of atma tattva or soul realisation by bhakti yoga or exclusive loving devotion unto the Supreme Lord. Now in this chapter the most worshippable and resplendent Lord Krishna reveals His absolute dominion and sovereign glory over all creation and everything that is in it. Creation is constituted by kshara or transient souls in bondage and aksara or eternally liberated souls. Both kshara and akshara constitute His spiritual form which constitutes the cosmic manifestation but He is inconceivably distinctly different from both. The Supreme Lord being the Supreme creator and controller of all, the source of all glorious attributes and wonderful qualities is a fountain of righteousness and the antithesis of all that is evil and demoniac. For the elucidation of this eternal truth the Supreme Lord cites the Asvattha or banyan tree as a metaphor to symbolise the material manifestation as a place of bondage and enslavement for the atmas or immortal souls trapped as a jiva in samsara or the perpetual cycle of birth and death. How kshara souls may escape from samsara and become the akshara souls is His glorious plan of evolution and it is enacted by the sword of knowledge which destroys the tree of materialism by the weapon of non-attachment. The state of samsara is symbolised by the asvattha or banyan tree which in real ilfe has its roots growing upwards and its branches growing downwards. The indestructible nature of samsara is symbolised in the second division of the Katha Upanisad III.I beginning urdhva mulo avak shakha which means: With roots upwards and branches downwards this primeval tree is everlasting. With roots upwards refers to our Brahma with four faces, the secondary creator who is situated above the seven worlds of Bhur, Bhuvah, Svah, Mahah, etc.. The branches downwards refer to all the denziens of creation in the form of humans, animals, birds, fish, plants, insects, etc. The indestructible nature of this tree is due to its being avyayan or everlasting like a river with no end and because as a tree it is impossible to uproot until one is weaned from sense gratification and material desires by the mercy of the Supreme Lords devotee and atma tattva is achieved by His His grace. The word chandamsi refers to the injunctions and prohibitions of the Vedic scriptures which are symbolised by the leaves which flourish or dwindle in proportion to the karma or reactions to the actions one accrues by adhering to or ignoring such provisions. Leaves are very instrumental in preserving the longevity of trees. Whoever is knowledgeable of this tree as just explained comprehends the Vedic scriptures as the knowledge of non-attachment is the ways and means of uprooting this tree and allows one to achieve atma tattva.
In the previous chapter the Supreme Lord Krishna expounded upon: 1) The jiva or embodied beings relationship with matter in both its subtle and physical forms due to attraction to sense objects and subsequent attachment and the karma or reactions to ones own actions thereof along with the karma from the types of food one has eaten determines the physical body one receives in the next life. 2) The manner in detail how the association with the three gunas or modes of material nature keeps a jiva enslaved in material existence is given in verses 6 to 25. 3) The method by which a jiva is able to overcome and transcend the three gunas and assume ones actual spiritual position of atma tattva or soul realisation by bhakti yoga or exclusive loving devotion unto the Supreme Lord. Now in this chapter the most worshippable and resplendent Lord Krishna reveals His absolute dominion and sovereign glory over all creation and everything that is in it. Creation is constituted by kshara or transient souls in bondage and aksara or eternally liberated souls. Both kshara and akshara constitute His spiritual form which constitutes the cosmic manifestation but He is inconceivably distinctly different from both. The Supreme Lord being the Supreme creator and controller of all, the source of all glorious attributes and wonderful qualities is a fountain of righteousness and the antithesis of all that is evil and demoniac. For the elucidation of this eternal truth the Supreme Lord cites the Asvattha or banyan tree as a metaphor to symbolise the material manifestation as a place of bondage and enslavement for the atmas or immortal souls trapped as a jiva in samsara or the perpetual cycle of birth and death. How kshara souls may escape from samsara and become the akshara souls is His glorious plan of evolution and it is enacted by the sword of knowledge which destroys the tree of materialism by the weapon of non-attachment. The state of samsara is symbolised by the asvattha or banyan tree which in real ilfe has its roots growing upwards and its branches growing downwards. The indestructible nature of samsara is symbolised in the second division of the Katha Upanisad III.I beginning urdhva mulo avak shakha which means: With roots upwards and branches downwards this primeval tree is everlasting. With roots upwards refers to our Brahma with four faces, the secondary creator who is situated above the seven worlds of Bhur, Bhuvah, Svah, Mahah, etc.. The branches downwards refer to all the denziens of creation in the form of humans, animals, birds, fish, plants, insects, etc. The indestructible nature of this tree is due to its being avyayan or everlasting like a river with no end and because as a tree it is impossible to uproot until one is weaned from sense gratification and material desires by the mercy of the Supreme Lords devotee and atma tattva is achieved by His His grace. The word chandamsi refers to the injunctions and prohibitions of the Vedic scriptures which are symbolised by the leaves which flourish or dwindle in proportion to the karma or reactions to the actions one accrues by adhering to or ignoring such provisions. Leaves are very instrumental in preserving the longevity of trees. Whoever is knowledgeable of this tree as just explained comprehends the Vedic scriptures as the knowledge of non-attachment is the ways and means of uprooting this tree and allows one to achieve atma tattva.
Sri Bhagavaan Uvaacha: Oordhwamoolam adhahshaakham ashwattham praahuravyayam; Cchandaamsi yasya parnaani yastam veda sa vedavit.
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha—the Supreme Divine Personality said; ūrdhva-mūlam—with roots above; adhaḥ—downward; śhākham—branches; aśhvattham—the sacred fig tree; prāhuḥ—they speak; avyayam—eternal; chhandānsi—Vedic mantras; yasya—of which; parṇāni—leaves; yaḥ—who; tam—that; veda—knows; saḥ—he; veda-vit—the knower of the Vedas
