BHAGAVAD-GITA 15:1

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BHAGAVAD-GITA 15:1

 

sri-bhagavan uvaca

urdhva-mulam adhah-sakham

asvattham prahur avyayam

chandamsi yasya parnani

yas tam veda sa veda-vit

 

WORD FOR WORD

 

sri-bhagavan uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said;

urdhva-mulam--with roots above; adhah--downwards; sakham--branches;

asvattham--a banyan tree; prahuh--is said; avyayam--eternal;

chandamsi--the Vedic hymns; yasya--of which; parnani--the leaves;

yah--anyone who; tam--that; veda--knows; sah--he; veda-vit--the knower

of the Vedas.

 

TRANSLATION

 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is said that there is an

imperishable banyan tree that has its roots upward and its branches

down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is

the knower of the Vedas.

 

PURPORT

 

After the discussion of the importance of bhakti-yoga, one may

question, "What about the Vedas?" It is explained in this chapter that

the purpose of Vedic study is to understand Krsna. Therefore one who

is in Krsna consciousness, who is engaged in devotional service,

already knows the Vedas.

 

The entanglement of this material world is compared here to a banyan

tree. For one who is engaged in fruitive activities, there is no end

to the banyan tree. He wanders from one branch to another, to another,

to another. The tree of this material world has no end, and for one

who is attached to this tree, there is no possibility of liberation.

The Vedic hymns, meant for elevating oneself, are called the leaves of

this tree. This tree's roots grow upward because they begin from where

Brahma is located, the topmost planet of this universe. If one can

understand this indestructible tree of illusion, then one can get out

of it.

 

This process of extrication should be understood. In the previous

chapters it has been explained that there are many processes by which

to get out of the material entanglement. And, up to the Thirteenth

Chapter, we have seen that devotional service to the Supreme Lord is

the best way. Now, the basic principle of devotional service is

detachment from material activities and attachment to the

transcendental service of the Lord. The process of breaking attachment

to the material world is discussed in the beginning of this chapter.

The root of this material existence grows upward. This means that it

begins from the total material substance, from the topmost planet of

the universe. From there, the whole universe is expanded, with so many

branches, representing the various planetary systems. The fruits

represent the results of the living entities' activities, namely,

religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.

 

Now, there is no ready experience in this world of a tree situated

with its branches down and its roots upward, but there is such a

thing. That tree can be found beside a reservoir of water. We can see

that the trees on the bank reflect upon the water with their branches

down and roots up. In other words, the tree of this material world is

only a reflection of the real tree of the spiritual world. This

reflection of the spiritual world is situated on desire, just as a

tree's reflection is situated on water. Desire is the cause of things'

being situated in this reflected material light. One who wants to get

out of this material existence must know this tree thoroughly through

analytical study. Then he can cut off his relationship with it.

 

This tree, being the reflection of the real tree, is an exact replica.

Everything is there in the spiritual world. The impersonalists take

Brahman to be the root of this material tree, and from the root,

according to Sankhya philosophy, come prakrti, purusa, then the three

gunas, then the five gross elements (panca-maha-bhuta), then the ten

senses (dasendriya), mind, etc. In this way they divide up the whole

material world into twenty-four elements. If Brahman is the center of

all manifestations, then this material world is a manifestation of the

center by 180 degrees, and the other 180 degrees constitute the

spiritual world. The material world is the perverted reflection, so

the spiritual world must have the same variegatedness, but in reality.

The prakrti is the external energy of the Supreme Lord, and the purusa

is the Supreme Lord Himself, and that is explained in Bhagavad-gita.

Since this manifestation is material, it is temporary. A reflection is

temporary, for it is sometimes seen and sometimes not seen. But the

origin from whence the reflection is reflected is eternal. The

material reflection of the real tree has to be cut off. When it is

said that a person knows the Vedas, it is assumed that he knows how to

cut off attachment to this material world. If one knows that process,

he actually knows the Vedas. One who is attracted by the ritualistic

formulas of the Vedas is attracted by the beautiful green leaves of

the tree. He does not exactly know the purpose of the Vedas. The

purpose of the Vedas, as disclosed by the Personality of Godhead

Himself, is to cut down this reflected tree and attain the real tree

of the spiritual world.

 

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with

permission.