विवेचन सारांश

Saṃsāravṛkṣa: The Proverbial Tree of Life that has its Branches down and Roots up

By using the word Aśhvattha, the Paramatma is reminding us the fact that this Saṃsāra, His Creation, is ever changing and it is highly unlikely for the materialistic world of today to remain so the next day.

This tree was described by Bhagavān as aśvattha, where A= not, Shwa= tomorrow, tha= stands/remains; Ādi Śankarācārya interpreted it as “One which does not remain the same tomorrow”, such as the universe itself

Another thing to be noted here is - Paramatman is comparing this material world with not just any random tree, but with the Pīpala tree. Why so? Because, Pīpala tree is very fickle. Its leaves are always shaking even when there is no wind around. Similarly, human mind is also equally fickle and keeps moving from one end to the other and in from one materialistic pursuit to the other.

Yogeśvara also describes this world as ‘Avyayam’, meaning ‘eternal’ or indestructible. It was there, is here and will be there in times to come.

The word ‘Chandas’ used in this verse has multiple meanings, the first of which is Poetry, the literary work written in Sanskrit in particular. The second meaning is Jñāna, the knowledge of the Divine. The third meaning is Vedas. The meaning imbibed here is that of knowledge. Parameśvara concludes this Shloka saying that the knower of the precise nature of this world is the one who knows Vedas comprehensively, from which a subtle conclusion can be drawn that Vedas are nothing but a compendium of what is what of this Saṃsāra.

In continuation of what HE told in first Shloka, Parameśvara articulates that the branches of that imaginary tree are spread everywhere. These branches are watered (nurtured) by Trigunas - Sāttvika, Rājasika and Tāmasika. These TriGuṇas are nothing but the fruits of our actions in various previous births. In Gītā we have a well-known concept -

Our right is only in performing ‘Karmas’, our actions. But, our right is not in the ‘results’ of those Karmas. Extending this concept, Bhagavān aligns it to the theory of TriGuṇas according to which all of us should cultivate Sāttvika Guṇa and eliminate Tāmasika Guṇa. All our Karmas are nourished by our Guṇas. If we have Rājasika Guṇas, our actions, or Karmas, would be Rājasika Karmas, so on and so forth.

The tender leaves of a branch in honey colour can be likened to temptations which can be in any materialistic form such as sounds, scenic objects, sense of touch, smell etc. Just like the way in which the tender leaves continue to rise on the branches incessantly, these materialistic temptations also tend to arise in our mind / occur in us which in turn cultivate Guṇas and consequently the actions. As explained in Chapter 17, Śhraddhā Traya Vibhāga Yoga, these Trigunas would affect not only our actions, but also the kind of food we consume. Thus, it can be concluded that the material perceptions we come across in our day to day life would affect each and every aspect of daily life, including our food, and it can be vice-versa also.

These material perceptions are felt by our Indriyas (sense organs) which function as per the commands given by us. Hence, it can be said that the control mechanism lies with us only. Finally, we are ourselves responsible for our actions, and none other can either be blamed or credited for our actions.

In this Shloka, Yogeśvara explains that the Saṃsāra is not exactly like the inverse Peepal tree. While the example of tree was given just to make us understand the broad nature of Saṃsāra, in factual position it is totally different. It doesn’t have any foundation, nor any resting surface. It has no top or bottom. There is no starting point or end point for this Saṃsāravṛkṣa. Its eternal.

In this context, we need to understand the concept of Chaturdasha Bhuvanani, the 14 lokas, of which the first 8 lokas are considered superior than Manushyaloka, where, we, the humans, precisely the two legged beings, exist. That means, in celestial hierarchy, our loka is considered to be the ninth best from the Top. The inferior or meaner lokas are like this -

If we while away this precious human life with Tāmasika karmas, depending upon the intensity of those bad deeds, we will take a rebirth in one or more of these inferior lokas popularly known as Atal loka, Vital loka, Patal loka, etc . On the contrary, if we wisely live this priceless life with noble actions and for good cause we will take rebirth in one of the superior lokas such as Satyaloka, Tapoloka, Jalaloka, Maharloka, Swargaloka and so on, depending upon the quantum of nobility we earn in this present birth as a human being.

Precisely, Bhagavadgītā, the Divine Song, comes here to our rescue. But how? All of us by and large know which act is noble and which one is malicious. Even a 5 year old kid would tell which one is good and which one is bad. But, the problem is in its implementation. While so many other scriptures tell us the theoretical interpretation, Gītā gives us practical orientation with lucid examples. Irrespective of our present age and state of mental maturity, we can always start practicing Gītā in our day to day life with the help of some simple technique taught in Gītā.

Now, the moot question is how to get rid of all these earthly attachments which firmly hold us to this material world. Paramatma gives us a simple solution for this. These attachments should be cut at once with a sharp axe like instrument, which is nothing but the ‘non attachment’ or ‘detachment’ to worldly objects.

This concept can be best illustrated with a Puranic example -      

Once Maharshi Shukadev visited Janaka, the King of Mithila, seeking knowledge. That being a very auspicious day, King Janaka was performing a holy ritual on that day. King Janaka asked Shukadev to firmly hold in his hands a pot filled with oil to the brim. With the oil filled pot in his hand, sage Shukadev was to do a Parikrama (circumambulation) of the city of Mithila without spilling even a drop of oil from the pot. Shukadev, however, completed that seemingly not so easy task and reached back to Janaka and   confirmed to him that his assigned task was accomplished successfully, duly ensuring that not even a single drop of oil spilled over. But, Janaka posed unassuming questions to Shukadev - ‘How was Mithila looking ? How were the fort walls ? How were the royal mansions ?, etc. Shukadev was simply taken aback with these questions. He told Janaka that he was totally engrossed in ritually performing the task assigned to him, of doing the Parikrama with the oil filled pot in his hand ensuring no spill over whatsoever. King Janaka was waiting for exactly this response. He immediately told Shukadev that he (Sage Shukadev) has already got the answer he needed and in pursuit of which he visited Mithila. The underlying concept is ‘Detachment’. Sage Shukadev was all along seeing Mithila during his lengthy Parikrama. But he is totally unmindful of his surroundings and completely focused on his assigned task.

Similarly, in our life we should perform our duties ritually, but shouldn’t get attached to any emotions or materialistic objects. All of us are just like actors playing their respective roles with commitment, but without getting attached to the roles assigned to us. Then only this leads to absolute ‘Detachment’.

Now, in this Shloka, having guided by the Parameśvara, we removed all our attachments with a sharp, powerful axe called ‘Detachment’, and focused on the mission for which we were bestowed this beautiful and dutiful human body by the Giver of all material and spiritual riches in the Universe. Having cut all the roots, called attachments, what would be our next course of action? This is narrated in the next Shloka.

Now the next course of action for the ātman is - to unite with the Bhagavān, the Puruṣottama, the one described as the Adipurusha in various texts who is eternal, source of creation and is the creation. HE is the ultimate goal and destination.

When the ātman reaches Him, they are removed from this Saṃsāra and shall forever be liberated from the Bhavasāgara (ocean of existence). One’s goal should be to reach that Paramdham (Ultimate abode of Parameśvara).

Param dhama is the one from which no one returns to the this material world. Thus, one who reaches the Supreme, is completely freed from the endless cycle of births and rebirths, and more importantly from the risk of being fallen into one of the inferior lokas.

Who is the Parameśvara?

Paramātmā is giving little more description of Himself in this Shloka. Our endeavour is to reach out to that Paramātmā, from whom this eternal and mythical tree like Saṃsāravṛkṣa came into being, since the times immemorial. This entire exercise is to be done with utmost devotion and dedication.

Here, what we should notice is the fact that no date, time etc are assigned to the coming into being of this Saṃsāra but only mentioned as since ‘Anadi’, meaning which has no beginning, is eternal.

The first step to start searching for the Paramātmā is thinking of one’s self, not in materialistic sense, but in Vedantic sense as "Aham Brahmasmi", meaning This Atman is nothing but Bramhan. But, getting immersed into this ideology is easier said than done. In order to conceptualize this theory of Advaita, meaning Oneness of Ātmā and Paramātmā, immense efforts and some specialised Sadhana are needed, which we hear from the Omnipotent in the subsequent Shlokas.

There are certain qualities expected of a Sadhak who would want to perceive himself as an inseparable entity with the Supreme and to get detached himself with any of the earthly pursuits -

Nirmānamohā: Free from pride and delusion.
The first step is to give up all pride, which is due to ignorance. The Jīvātmā has an illusion that they are the governors of all the material wealth that they have acquired, and continue accumulating more.

Their minds are blinded by pride borne by ignorance, they think that all this is for their enjoyment, and would continue giving them happiness. They cannot perceive HIM as the owner of all. Thus, cannot surrender unto HIS will.

Jitasaṅgadoṣā: Free from all attachments.
Once the "I" and "mine" notion has diminished to some extent, the seeker has to focus on where is he stuck, where is his attachment in this world and remove it. One should be dispassionate towards their body, this could be accomplished through control of the mind and senses. This results in the desires that are a by product of attachment, to diminish.

Adhyātmanityā: Dwelling on Self.
Where the self is free from individual identity; not confined to just reading spiritual books and visiting holy places, but a true sense of unity with the Almighty - I am Him and He is me.

Cultivating the feeling of - I can be ever happy since HE, who is no way different from me, is bound to remain happy, which can be inferred from certain Vedic utterances such as Akhanda Sachidananda, Chidananda, Shivoham - Shivoham, etc. This Divine feeling liberates one from Arishadvarga - the six common enemies of all such as kama (desires), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), mada (arrogance), moha (delusion), matsarya (jealousy).

Vinivṛttakāmāḥ: the desires are turned away.

One who has won over all his desires. One has full control over desire, anger, greed, jealousy and pride by thinking himself as a part of HIM.

Dvandvairvimuktāḥ: Free of all dual conflicts.

Equipoised when facing pairs of opposites such as good and evil; loss and gain; sadness and joy; pleasure and pain; dharma and adharma, etc.

When we ask some one to strive hard to achieve something or reach some goal, we should also tell him how that goal is going to be; how sweet the end result would be, etc., Without articulating those important aspects, it is unlikely the reader / listener be enthused to reach that goal / achieve that result. So, the Omnipresent in this Shloka is professing how that Paramapada, the ultimate destination of any Jīvātman, would be.

Paramapada is such a place or object or concept or body of mass that cannot be lit by any of the three principal sources of light such as the Sun, the Moon and the Fire. There is no other source of light that is capable of making the objects glow. That means, the Paramapada is self illuminating. As we know, the light is a form of energy. Simillarly, the Supreme also says that HE need not be powered by any other object, HE is self sufficient and self propelling

He also says - Paramdhama is such a place after reaching which one will not return. That means, a Jīvātman which reaches Paramātmā would never take a rebirth in any of the Lokas, leave alone the inferior lokas which are below Manushyaloka, since he himself becomes Paramātmā.

If we recollect Almighty’s most apt name ‘Sat-Chitt-Ananda Rupa’ (Sat + Chit + Ananda), the composition of three names, the second name ‘Chitt’ means ‘the eternal light’. Obviously, a ‘light’, that too an ‘eternal light’, needs no outside light for it to ignite. On the contrary, it itself can give light to the other objects / beings. For instance, the other objects like Earth, Moon etc derive their needed light from Himself, the Parameśvara, the giver of Eternal light to whole of the Universe.

Contrary to the materialistic perception, even the Sun is not self illuminating. He is not the ultimate source of light, one of the major forms of energy. He too, just like all other constituents of this Universe, derive the light from that ultimate ‘Chetan tattva’, the element of mobility from whom all other worldly objects get the needed energy to perform their assigned functions.

This is one of the most important and popular Shlokas of Gītā, through which the Yogeśvara establishes HIS eternal connection with the Six Indriyas, the five sense organs and the mind.

In this Shloka, HE is referring Himself as ‘Anadi’, or ‘Sanatana’. He could also have referred to Himself as ‘Puratana’ which means ancient. But HE deliberately abstained from referring Himself as Puratana. Beacuse, Sanatana is much older than Puratana, and refers to such objects whose point of origin is unknown, they always exist; they are eternal. This adjective is best suited to Paramātmā, since HE is eternal

He is referring to Six Indriyas, the sense organs, which is contrary to the concept of Panchendriyas - meaning a clutch of Five Indriyas such as Thwach (skin for touch), Chakshu (eyes to see), Shrothra (ears to listen), Jihwa (tongue to taste) and Ghrana (nose to smell). Here, after adding the Mind and mentioning it distinctly, HE is referring to Six senses.

Bhagavān proclaimed that the Jīvātmā is part of HIM. Due to ignorance, the Jīvā think they are bound in Prakṛti. It is by identification with Prakṛti that he evolves the five senses and the mind.

But, it is a known fact that most of the evil deeds committed by Jīvās are only out of Vasanas, the temptations, generated by the Sense organs. The fault lies not with Indriyas, but solely with us, the mortal beings. We deeply develop a false sense of undue belongingness to a whole lot of earthly objects / pursuits under the influence of TriGuṇas which are nurtured by Vasanas, the attachments.

As a result, the Indriyas are under coercion to crave for certain things which may not fall under Sāttvika category. Again the answer is to cultivate Sāttvika Guṇas as already dealt with extensively in the related Chapters.

Often we encounter so many doubts in our spiritual journey, some of them being How and why this body, the Divine Gift, is destroyed? What happens to this body after the death? How the Atman taking shelter within that body traverses to another destiny after the said body is destroyed? This Shloka clearly answers most of such questions. In order to get further clarity on this complex subject, we can also fall back on the following Shlokas which have some contextual relevance:

As seen in chapter 2, Bhagavān explained the eternal existence of the ātman and the the concept of death and rebirth,

Bhagavān said: As a person sheds worn-out garments and wears new ones, likewise, at the time of death, the Jīvātman casts off its worn-out body and enters a new one.

Factually, there is no dying nor coming into being of Ātmā. The Jīvātman changes its body as eloquently as a person changes its robes thus maintaining its continuity eternally. But, it does not travel alone from one destination to the other.

We know air carries fragrance or bad odour from one object to another, say from a flower garden or a clutter bin to a Royal mansion or a poor man’s house. It makes no distinction. Its duty is just to carry the smell, whether it is good or bad from one place to another. In the same way, the Jīvātman, while moving from one body to another body, carries with it the impressions that it gathered in that life with its senses.

This ātman cannot be perceived by the laukik buddhi (limited mind/material mind) as the Paramātmā uses the alaukik buddhi (infinite mind) for Jīvātman. When the ātman leaves a body and gets another form, it carries the Karmic consequences with it temporarily just as the wind would carry a fragrance. This is the Prarabdha.

Also, like the air, the Jīvātman doesn’t carry the impressions forever. At some point in time, the Jīvātman leaves them for their destiny. That means, the Jīvātman does not remain attached to Indriyas. As such, the Ātman is always neutral, absolutely free from any kind of attachments.

Its a well-known concept in Vedantic sciences that both Ātmā and the Paramātmā are one and the same. Now, taking the help of this concept, HE is explaining HIS presence from a macro perceptive to micro perception, the detail of which is reserved for the next session. 

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Question: Bhagavān says to Arjuna to surrender to Him totally. That means, do we not have any duties expected of ourselves?

Answer: Its not about duties, but it is about wishes. HE says that we should not rely on seemingly our resources, the ones that appear to be under our control, such as our money, our mind, our power etc. He wants us to rely on Him for every need, which is the very essence of the age old concept of ‘Sharanagathi’.

Though this concept is widely believed and very ancient, normally we don’t follow this in true sense. We approach the Omnipotent only after exhausting all our earthly efforts, as a last resort. Here the Supreme’s intention is to send a clear message through Arjuna to treat HIM as the only defence to fallback upon, rather than treating HIM as a standby mechanism.

2.Question: How can we remain unattached to Fragrance, the Vasanas?

Answer: It can not be done in one day or overnight. It needs persistent practice. It is eminently possible over a period of time. For example, if someone is very fond of some food, initially he may not be able keep himself away from it when it appears within his vicinity. However, if he constantly keeps trying to be away from it, over a period of time he can remain without indulging on it.

Also, the problem is not with the desires per se. In majority of the cases, the problem lies with the intensity of those desires. Moderation is the key for anything. Even in the example of food, desiring for some favourite food, in permitted quantities, is not at all a bad thing. But craving for it excessively or indulging on any food excessively is the problem.

This is beautifully explained quoting a reference to Shloka 14 of Chapter 2 which reads as under:

Some of the widely accepted spiritual methods available are restraints like Upavas (fasting), mounavrath (silence), etc. All these austerities are nothing but powerful control mechanisms.

3. Question: In Gītā it is often said ‘Bhagavān uvācha’, referring Him as Bhagavān. In the same Gītā, HE is also referred to as Srikrishna many a time. Is there any difference in this nomenclature?

Answer: The Original Mahabharata written by Veda vyasa has a lakh of Shlokas. In all these Shlokas He is variedly referred to as Keshav, Vasudev, Krishna and so on. Whereas, only in Bhishmaparva, out of total 18 Parvas of Mahabharata, of which Bhagavadgītā forms a part, He is referred to as Sri Bhagavān. Because, on all other contexts of Mahabharata; He conducts Himself as Sri Krishna, the son of Nanda - Yashoda. But, only in Bhishmaparva, more precisely while delivering Bhagavadgītā to HIS disciple, he steps into the shoes of Sri Bhagavān since it has a much loftier message applicable to the mankind eternally. Hence, the distinction in his naming. Accordingly, Gītā is not to be considered as a sermon delivered by one single God or Goddess, but that of Sarveshwar, the congregation of entire Divinity.

The words Lord and God are one and the same and both of them can be used interchangeably, in as much as the higher title is restricted to the lower one, but not the vice-versa. Moreover, its not the name with which we call Him, but the consciousness which we have in mind while addressing Him, is the essence.

4. Question: How to search for Parampada, the abode of Paramatma?

Answer: The search is very simple. Any kind of Sadhana which is done with utmost consciousness, like ensuing Gita Vivechan / discourse, is a perfect way of Searching for Him. Also, unless there is Divine call from Him, we wouldn’t be here in this session. We are here means, we deserved an invitation from Him to be with Him.

5. Question: It is said that the Soul carries Indriyas alongwith Mind to another destination. The moot question is - why should a body suffer for the bad karmas committed by another body?

Answer: Body doesn’t mean anything. Without a soul attached to it, is has no existence of its own. No special recognition needs to be given to any body. It is just meant to perform the karmas meant to it in that physical form. Body doesn’t suffer since it has no existence of its own. Only the Jīvā suffers through the medium of a body.

6. Question: It is said that we should cultivate the thought of ‘I am the Supreme - and Supreme is me’ (Aham Brahmasmi). Since we have our own egos and attachment to this body, how to cultivate that Divine feeling?

Answer: In our childhood all of us had craving for toys. But, over a period, we lost that madness towards toys. We didn’t make any consciousness efforts to get rid of that. It got vanished on its own, because we physically and emotionally got matured and we are engrossed in some bigger pursuits. Similarly, as we grow spiritually, we become matured in our consciousness and our egos get washed away since we aim for bigger, rather the biggest, goal, pursuit of unison with the Paramātmā. There comes the role of Sadhana, the spiritual practice with utmost consciousness. There are so many sages and mahapurush even now who have gone a bit closer to Paramātmā to whom this material wealth does not at all matter.

7. Question: In Gita, the Tree of Peepal, Ashwath Vriksh, was referred twice in different contexts. What exactly is meant by this term?

Answer: In Chapter 15, the word Ashwath is used to compare with it this Saṃsāravṛkṣa. Ashwath tree is highly Chanchal, meaning lack of absolute stability. It’s leaves keep swinging even when there is absolutely no air around. Also, the second meaning is - something which doesn’t stay for long, quite momentary, since the word ‘Swah’ means tomorrow in Sanskrit.

Whereas in Chapter 10, Vibhuti Yoga, HE relates Himself to Peepal tree. He did it since He feels so. No where it is mentioned, as to why He likened Himself to a Peepal Tree.