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The Vedas Are Known By The One Who Understands The Secret Of Cutting This Samsara Tree

श्रीभगवानुवाच |
ऊर्ध्वमूलमध:शाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् |
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् || 15.1||

śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śhākham aśhvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam
chhandānsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit|| 15.1||

Shloka Translation
BG – Ch. 15- Ver. 1:

They speak of an immortal ashvatth tree with roots above and branches below, according to the Supreme Divine Personality. Its leaves are the Vedic hymns, and anyone who learns the secret of this tree knows the Vedas.

Explanation

The immortal Ashvatth tree, which is an upside-down holy fig tree with roots above and branches below, is mentioned by Lord Shree Krishna. Ashvatth also refers to something that will not be the same the next day or something that is always changing. Samsara, the Sanskrit term for world, is defined as that which is constantly altering. The world is not only shifting and changing, but it will be fully destroyed and reverted to God at some point in the future. As a result, the world we live in, or Ashvatth, is just transient.

The Lord describes the material world as a giant Ashvatth tree for the soul. Its roots are going upwards, emanating from God and being nurtured and maintained by Him. All life-forms from various abodes of the material domain are included by the stem and branches that spread downwards The Vedic mantras are written on its leaves and describe rites, ceremonies, and rewards. The soul can ascend to the heavenly abodes and experience celestial joys by executing such rites, but they must finally return to earth when the benefits run out.

The leaves of the Ashvatth tree nourish the souls’ corporeal existence and keep the cycle of life and death going. The spirits do not experience the beginning or the end because of this continuity. As a result, this world’s tree shape is known as Avyayam, meaning forever. As ocean water evaporates, clouds develop, which shower down on the earth, generating rivers that eventually run back to the oceans. Similarly, the cycle of life and death is never-ending.

Those who know this tree from its roots to its branches will not believe death can take them away. The purpose of depicting this tree in the Vedas was to teach us that we are not bound by the cycle of life and death, and that we should work to cut down this tree. Lord Shree Krishna has said that one who understands the secret of cutting this tree of samsara is a Vedic knower for the same reason.

Verse & what we can learn

The fifteenth chapter opens with Shri Krishna describing a unique type of tree. “Oordhvamoolam adhahashaakham,” it says. It’s upside down, with roots on top and branches on the bottom. Inverted trees feature a number of unique properties. The further one gets away from the root, the more the substance or essence is lost. These trees are never completely still. They’re always changing. As a result, the tree is known as “ashvattha,” which means “not long enduring.”

Ishvara, the saguna Brahman, the eternal essence with form, is the tree’s root. Its branches are nothing more than the hardening of Prakriti, the hardening of the three gunas due to their permutations and combinations, which have emerged from Ishvara. The process of the universe’s creation has been thoroughly discussed in previous chapters. It’s analogous to a tender, delicate sapling maturing into a strong tree over time. It is called avyayam or imperishable because, like the illusion of the blue sky, it is permanent once its actuality is established. Even when we realize that the sky isn’t actually blue, but only appears to be, we continue to believe in the illusion.

The Vedas are the laws of the universe, and they are figuratively depicted as the leaves of this ashvattha tree. The Vedas contain rules that advise us on how to live our lives and avoid committing sins or errors. They are the repository of information and activities required to succeed in this world. Nobody needs to know anything else if they understand how the cosmos works in this way and how to get to the source, which is Ishvara. Even a tiny little bit of worldly attachment might hinder our spiritual advancement

To acquire knowledge and to implement that knowledge in life one needs to be mentally and physically active and healthy and for that daily meditation is a great tool.

There are various types of meditation like Buddhist meditation, heartfulness meditation, mindfulness meditation, meditation for stress, and each meditation benefits are countless. There is also numerous meditation techniques for beginners which help in practicing daily meditation so go ahead and start your journey towards a peaceful and balanced life.

We will discover more about this tree over the next few shlokas so that we can understand our entanglement with it and, as a result, learn how to disentangle ourselves from it through dispassion.

Let’s learn to live with “The Gita” via Meditation Affinity…