 |
 |
|
|
|
|
TEXT 1 sri-bhagavan uvaca
SYNONYMS  sri-bhagavan
uvaca--the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; urdhva-mulam--with
roots above; adhah--downwards; sakham--branches; asvattham--banyan
tree; prahuh--said; avyayam--eternal; chandamsi--Vedic
hymns; yasya--of which; parnani--the leaves; yah--anyone;
tam--that;
veda--knows;
sah--he; veda-vit--the knower of the
Vedas.
TRANSLATION The Blessed
Lord said: There is a banyan tree which 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 the 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 Brahma 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-mahabhuta), then the ten senses (dasendriya),
mind, etc. In this way they divide up the whole material world. If Brahma
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.
|
