🪷 Bhagavad-Gītā · 15.2

15.2 अधः below? च and? ऊर्ध्वम् above? प्रसृताः spread? तस्य its? शाखाः branches? गुणप्रवृद्धाः nourished by the Gunas? विषयप्रवालाः senseobjects (are) its buds? अधः below? च and? मूलानि the roots? अनुसन्ततानि are stretched forth? कर्मानुबन्धीनि originating action? मनुष्यलोके in the world of men.Commentary The countless objects? large and small? which life needs are all products of the five elements through the activity of the alities. This tree of Samsara is nourished by the three alities of Nature. The senseobjects are its buds and the roots which grow downwards are the bonds of Karma for those who lead a life of passion and attachment in this world? who are under the sway of likes and dislikes. The sprouts of this marvellous tree are the charming objects of the senses with their characteristics of sound? touch? colour? taste and smell. The roots? the Karmic tendencies from the past lives? grow downwards to generate the bonds of Karma in the world of men. These roots strengthen the bondage by further actions.The primal root is ignorance from which arises the eightfold Nature -- the five elements? mind? intellect and egoism. From the stem of the tree spring four branches called Svedaja? Andaja?,Jarayuja and Udbhijja. Eightyfour lakhs (eight million and four hundred thousand) of species came into being.One branch shoots straight upwards. This is the branch of Dharma which yields the fruit of enjoyment in heaven. Another branch is the branch of dispassion which yields the fruit of Selfrealisation. The sun? the planets? the manes and the sages have also come out of this wonderful tree. Above them are the branches of the worlds of Indra and the gods. Still higher are those of the sages and the men of austerities and penance. Still higher is the Satyaloka where Hiranyagarbha dwells.From man down to the immovable objects below and from him up to the realm of the Creator above? whatever regions are attained in accordance with the nature of knowledge or action? they are the ramifying branches of the tree of Samsara. They are nurtured and fattened by the three Gunas which form their material base.The senseobjects such as sound? touch? colour? taste and smell represent the buds that sprout from the branches of the physical bodies which are the products of actions.The highest root of this wondeful tree is Brahman. The secondary roots are the latent impressions (Samskaras) of likes and dislikes? which spread in this world of men and impel them to perform virtuus and vicious actions and bind them fast to actions.Now listen to the way by which this tree can be cut off. Only he who thus cuts his bondage to this tree of Samsara can be happy even in this world. He has the highest wisdom because he stands as a spectator of this tree and knows it as it is? without being tied to it.

15.2 Sakhah, the branches, as it were; tasya, of that Tree; prasrtah, extending; adhah, downwards, from the human beings to the immobile (trees etc.); ca, and; urdhvam, upwards, upto Brahma-beginning from the Creator of the Cusmos to Dharma (Death) [According to A.G. 'human beings' stands for the world of human beings, and 'Brahma ' for the 'world of Brahma' (Satva-loka). So Dharma may mean the 'world of Death' (pitr-loka).-Tr.], which, 'in accordance with their work and in conformity with their knowledge' (Ka. 2.2.7), are the results of knowledge and actions; are guna-pravrddhah, strengthened, made stout, by the alities sattva, rajas and tamas, which are their materials; and visaya-pravalah, have the sense-objects as their shoots. The sense-objects (sound etc.) sprout, as it were, like new leaves from the branches (bodies etc.) which are the results of actions. Thery the branches are said to have sense-objects as their shoots. The supreme Root, the material cause of the Tree of the World, has been stated earlier. And now, the latent impressions of attraction, repulsion, etc. born of the results of action are the subsidiary roots, as it were, which grow later on and become the cause of involvement in righteousness and and unrighteousness. And those mulani, roots; karma-anubandhini, which are followed by actions; anu-santatani, spread, enter; adhah, downwards, as compared with the world of gods; manusya-loke, into the world of human beings particularly-for it is well known that (only) here men have competence for rites and duties. They (these roots) are said to be karma-anubandhini since actions (karma) that are characterized as righteous and unrighteous follow as their product (anubandha), (i.e.) succeed the rise of those (attraction, repulsion, etc.).

15.2 The 'secondary roots' of this tree having the main roots in the world of Brahman and its crest in men ramify below in the world of men. They bind them according to their Karma. The meaning is that the effects of acts causing bondag become roots in the world of men. For, the effect of actions done in the human state brings about the further condition of men, beasts etc., down below, and of divinities etc., up above.

15.1-2 Urdhva-mulam etc. Adhas ca etc. In other scriptural texts it is delcared 'All is the holy Fig-tree; that alone is to be meditated upon'. The present verse tells us this : What is intended by that declaration is only the religious meditation of the Brahman, the Bhagavat. Root : the one with a highly tranil nature. That is high (above) : Becasue it can be attained by him alone who has withdrawn himself from every other [lower] thing. The [Vedic] hymns are the leaves [of it] etc. : Just as the girth, height, the fruits and the taste etc. of a tree are indicated by its leaves, in the same fashion the idea of the Brahman-being is through the scriptures that are included in the 'Vedic hymns'. This is what is narrated here. With Strands : i.e., with the Sattva etc. Well developed : i.e., starting from gods down to the stationary ones. Of this tree, the roots, that are below, are the good and bad actions.

।।15.2।। संसार वृक्ष का और विस्तृत चित्रांकन इस श्लोक में किया गया है। गूढ़ अभिप्राय वाले प्रतीकों को शब्दश नहीं लेना चाहिये? फिर वे प्रतीक साहित्य के हों अथवा कला के। वेदों की शैली ही लक्षणात्मक है। दर्शनशास्त्र के सूक्ष्म सिद्धान्तों को व्यक्त करने के लिए जगत् की किसी उपयुक्त वस्तु का वर्णन ऐसी काव्यात्मक शैली में करना? जिससे धर्म के गूढ़ सन्देश या अभिप्राय का बोध कराया जा सके? लक्षणात्मक शैली कही जाती है।भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण कहते हैं कि इस वृक्ष की शाखाएं ऊपर और नीचे फैली हुईं हैं। इनसे तात्पर्य देवता? मनुष्य? पशु इत्यादि योनियों से है। मनुष्य के व्यक्तिगत तथा जगत् के विकास की दिशा कभी उन्नति की ओर होती है? किन्तु प्राय यह पशु जीवन के निम्न स्तर की ओर रहती है। अध और ऊर्ध्व इन दो शब्दों से इन्हीं दो दिशाओं अथवा प्रवृत्तियों की ओर निर्देश किया गया है।गुणों से प्रवृद्ध हुई जीवों की ऊर्ध्व या अधोगामी प्रवृत्तियों का धारण पोषण प्रकृति के सत्त्व? रज और तम? इन तीन गुणों के द्वारा किया जाता है। इन गुणों का विस्तृत विवेचन पूर्व अध्याय में किया जा चुका है।किसी भी वृक्ष की शाखाओं पर हम अंकुर या कोपलें देख सकते हैं जहाँ से अवसर पाकर नईनई शाखाएं फूटकर निकलती हैं। प्रस्तुत रूपक में इन्द्रियों के शब्दस्पर्शादि विषयों को प्रवाल अर्थात् अंकुर कहा गया है। यह सुविदित तथ्य है कि विषयों की उपस्थिति में हम अपने उच्च आदर्शों को विस्मृत कर विषयाभिमुख हो जाते हैं। तत्पश्चात् उन भोगों की पूर्ति के लिये उन्मत्त होकर नयेनये कर्म करते हैं। अत विषयों को प्रवाल कहना समीचीन है।इस श्लोक में भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण कहते हैं कि इस वृक्ष की गौण जड़ें नीचे फैली हुई हैं। परमात्मा तो इस संसार वृक्ष का अधिष्ठान होने से इसका मुख्य मूल है किन्तु इसकी अन्य जड़े भी हैं ? जो इस वृक्ष का अस्तित्व बनाये रखती हैं। मनुष्य देह में यह जीव असंख्य प्रकार के कर्म और कर्मफल का भोग करता है? जिसके फलस्वरूप उसके मन में नये संस्कार या वासनाएं अंकित होती जाती हैं। ये वासनाएं ही अन्य जड़ें हैं? जो मनुष्य को अपनी अभिव्यक्ति के लिये कर्मों में प्रेरित करती रहती हैं। शुभ और अशुभ कर्मों का कारण भी ये वासनाएं ही हैं। जैसा कि लोक में हम देखते हैं? वृक्ष की ये अन्य जड़ें ऊपर से नीचे पृथ्वी में प्रवेश कर वृक्ष को दृढ़ता से स्थिर कर देती हैं? वैसे ही ये संस्कार शुभाशुभ कर्म और कर्मफल को उत्पन्न कर मनुष्य को इस लोक के राग और द्वेष? लाभ और हानि? आय और व्यय आदि प्रवृत्तियों के साथ बाँध देते हैं।अगले दो श्लोकों में इसका वर्णन किया गया है कि किस प्रकार हम इस संसार वृक्ष को काटकर इसके ऊर्ध्वमूल परमात्मा का अपने आत्मस्वरूप से अनुभव कर सकते हैं