Bhagavatgita adetailed study chapter 15 The Supreme Purusha

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Bhagavatgita chapter 15- The Supreme Purusha

 

Sree bhagavaan uvaacha

 

1.Oordhvamoolam aDhasSSaaakham aSvattham

praahuravyayam

cchasndhaamsi yasya parNaani yastham vedha

sa vedhavith

 

The

Lord said,

 

One

who knows that which is mentioned as indestructible

asvattha tree with roots upwards branches

downwards whose leaves are the Vedas,he can be called a knower of Vedas.

 

In the

adhyaya dealing with kshethra

and khethrajna, (BG-13) Krishna has elucidated on the nature of prakrthi, the insentient matter and

of purusha the sentient soul

and the connection between the two. Here in this chapter the Lord is talking

about the Supreme Self, Brahman , described as `anAdhimath param brahma

,' (BG.13-12),who is all pervading. ,'sarvam aavrthyathishTathi,'

(BG.13-13)

 

The prakrthi, the cause of bondage of the purusha , the individual self, is

compared to as aSvattha, banyan tree, with its roots above and branches

below, oorDhvamoolam aDhasshAkham. Its leaves are the Vedas, cchandhAmsi

yasya parNAni. He who

knows this knows the Vedas.

 

The above meaning of the sloka has to be explained

further to understand its import. This idea is the reflection of the

Upanishadic declaration `oorDhvamoolo

avaakshaakhah esha aSvatthah sanaathanah,(Kat.up.2-3-1) this

peepul or banyan tree has roots above

and branches below. This tree is the samsara, the effect of the bondage of

purusha caused by identification with prakrthi. Since both prakrthi and

pusrusha originate from Brahman their substratum and the original cause of the

universe of the sentient and the insentient, Brahman is the root of the tree

and it is said to be situated above meaning not the physical position but

because it is high above everything

being the subtlest and unmanifest.

 

The tree is said to have branches below as the whole

creation is originated from Brahman and proceeds below, that is away from the

reality, being the effect of karma

causing bondage. The branches represent the whole creation from devas to the

lowest forms of life and also the immovables. Its leaves are said to cchandhAmsi

or Vedas. All karma that are done with an expectation of fruit are enjoined in

the Vedas and they are necessary for the worldly life as the leaves are for the

tree. Hence the Vedas are compared to parNas, leaves. One who

understands this will desist from doing desire motivated karma which will cause

the cycle of births and deaths. Hence it is said that one who knows this tree,

knows the Vedas, meaning that he will

understand the real nature of the Vedas.

 

2.

aDhaschorDhvam prasrthaasthasya SaakhaaH

guNa

pravrddhaa vishaypravaalaah

aDhascha

moolaanyanusanthathaani

karmaanubanDheeni manushyaloke

 

The branches of the tree extend both above and

below, nourished by the guNas. Their shoots are the sense objects. The

secondary roots of the tree extend downwards resulting in acts which bind men

to the world.

 

The branches which shoot upwards mean the actions of

those who elevate themselves by meritorious deeds and take birth as celestial

beings and those that go downward denote the karmas which take souls to the

lower births into animals etc.

 

The tree is nourished by the gunas as all the

activities are based on the gunas and the sense objects are termed as the shoots that make the tree

grow.

 

The secondary roots are the actions done which cause

further bondage and become the roots of further condition of samsara.

 

3.Na

roopam asya iha thaThopalabhyathe

naantho na chaadhirna cha samprathishTaa

asvatthamenam suvirooDamoolam

asangaSasthreNa dhrDena cchithvaa (Bg.15- 3)

 

 

This tree , says Krishna

is not seen at all and hence not understood. That is why it was said at the

outset that one who knows this will understand the import of the Vedas. The human beings bound

by their karma see them selves as identified with their body only and unaware

that it is the gunas which are responsible for their actions as explained in

the previous chapter. So it is something like seeing only the branches and not

the roots of the tree.

This Asvattha

tree is suvirooDamoolam, very deep rooted and it I not possible to cut

it. A man bound by his karma is like one

sitting on the branch of a tree and hence cutting it is not possible for him.

So how to get free from bondage and samsara?

 

Krishna gives the answer in the

second line of the sloka. `asangasasthreNa DhrDena cchitthvA', one can

only cut off this tree by the weapon of asanga, detachment.

 

The shoots of the branches which make the tree grow

are the sense objects which arouse desire and the activities motivated by

desire are due to the gunas. So the root cause of samsara is the desire risen out

of gunas. Hence the axe that cuts the tree is detachment.

 

Krishna stops the previous sloka

with an unfinished sentence, `cutting the tree with the weapon of detachment,'

giving rise to the question, what next? The answer is given in the next sloka

which is in relevance with the topic of the adhyaya15, the supreme purusha.