The Lord said to Arjun,
Know this world to be a tree.
Its roots reach for the sky
and the branches penetrate the ground below.The lyrics of Vedas are its leaves. The one who understands the mystery of this will be able to understand all. He will understand the secret of Vedas.
This is the Ashvattha tree.
Its branches have grown underground, but they have spread skywards too. The three Gunas have fostered the growth of its branches. Desire shows on its branches in delicate bloom. The deep, primal desire which is the cause of the (collective) karma of humanity has many roots which are hidden below the crust of the earth.
But this (metaphor) is not sufficient to make us comprehend the full significance of this transient world. This Ashvattha tree which has attained enormous growth has neither a beginning nor an end, nor does it have a real existence. And yet its roots are strong and deep. This tree has to be cut down from the roots. You need a strong axe in the form of complete detachment. Cut down the tree at the root. Then proceed on the path followed by the enlightened ones. that path takes you to the destination from where there is no return. Seek that place where all search ends. It ends at the feet of the Purusha who has initiated this endless ancient cycle. Bow to that Purusha in the spirit of surrender, and He knows. He, the First Cause, has set in motion this cycle the origin of which is completely lost. But if you seek Him He will take you in and then you will not come back to this mortal world.
Who are those who reach Him?
They are those who have passed beyond the contradictions of honour and dishonour. They are those who have no illusions. They are those who have moved away from worldly attachments. They have gone beyond all contradictions brought about by dualistic perception which causes disunity. They have gone beyond the battles of pleasure and pain. They proceed on the path with no illusions and doubts. They are the ones who make it to the last stop where there is no further, no beyond. It is the final resting place which is indestructible.
It is beyond the reach of the light of the sun, the moon and the fire. That is the highest abode, my abode, reaching where there is no return.
Whatever lives in the living beings, know it to be the essence of me. It is a part of me, eternal as me. Every being is like a crystal inside which is caught a drop of light which is me. The five organs of sense are enhanced by the sixth organ which is mind, and over them all presides my essence which makes them belong to the order of Nature (Prakruti) and keeps them tethered to me.
This body lives as a compound of many elements. When the master of this body leaves it and takes on another body, the essence of me who had occupied it, also leaves along with the perishable sense organs.
Just as the wind carries from the calyx the fragrance, which is the meaning of the flower, in the same way, the soul when leaving the body, carries the essence of all the sense organs along with the mind.
Know this world to be a tree.
Its roots reach for the sky
and the branches penetrate the ground below.The lyrics of Vedas are its leaves. The one who understands the mystery of this will be able to understand all. He will understand the secret of Vedas.
This is the Ashvattha tree.
Its branches have grown underground, but they have spread skywards too. The three Gunas have fostered the growth of its branches. Desire shows on its branches in delicate bloom. The deep, primal desire which is the cause of the (collective) karma of humanity has many roots which are hidden below the crust of the earth.
But this (metaphor) is not sufficient to make us comprehend the full significance of this transient world. This Ashvattha tree which has attained enormous growth has neither a beginning nor an end, nor does it have a real existence. And yet its roots are strong and deep. This tree has to be cut down from the roots. You need a strong axe in the form of complete detachment. Cut down the tree at the root. Then proceed on the path followed by the enlightened ones. that path takes you to the destination from where there is no return. Seek that place where all search ends. It ends at the feet of the Purusha who has initiated this endless ancient cycle. Bow to that Purusha in the spirit of surrender, and He knows. He, the First Cause, has set in motion this cycle the origin of which is completely lost. But if you seek Him He will take you in and then you will not come back to this mortal world.
Who are those who reach Him?
They are those who have passed beyond the contradictions of honour and dishonour. They are those who have no illusions. They are those who have moved away from worldly attachments. They have gone beyond all contradictions brought about by dualistic perception which causes disunity. They have gone beyond the battles of pleasure and pain. They proceed on the path with no illusions and doubts. They are the ones who make it to the last stop where there is no further, no beyond. It is the final resting place which is indestructible.
It is beyond the reach of the light of the sun, the moon and the fire. That is the highest abode, my abode, reaching where there is no return.
Whatever lives in the living beings, know it to be the essence of me. It is a part of me, eternal as me. Every being is like a crystal inside which is caught a drop of light which is me. The five organs of sense are enhanced by the sixth organ which is mind, and over them all presides my essence which makes them belong to the order of Nature (Prakruti) and keeps them tethered to me.
This body lives as a compound of many elements. When the master of this body leaves it and takes on another body, the essence of me who had occupied it, also leaves along with the perishable sense organs.
Just as the wind carries from the calyx the fragrance, which is the meaning of the flower, in the same way, the soul when leaving the body, carries the essence of all the sense organs along with the mind.
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