09/28/2003
BG Chapter 15 The Supreme Person
15.1: Sri Bhagavan said:
It is
said that there is the imperishable Asvattham tree with its roots above and the
branches below and of which the leaves are the hymns. He who knows this is the
knower of the Vedas.
There is some confusion in books about the
identity of Asvattham tree. It is called “Arasa Maram” (Ficus religiosa) in
Tamil Nadu. One calls it a Palm tree; another calls it Pipal (Ficus religiosa);
and yet another calls it Banyan Tree (Ficus Bhengalensis) with the adventitious
aerial roots. Both (the latter two) are related to each other. One thing we
know is that it is a cosmic tree. The berry of the Pipal is sweet, and Soma
(intoxicant) is prepared from its juice according to some accounts. (There is
another claim that says the soma juice comes from a mushroom.) Images of Pipal
tree appear on the Harrapan seals. Asvattham is said to be a “body-tree.” “A”
is no; “THA” is existence; “Shva” means “after tomorrow”: No existence after
tomorrow. It tells us that life is precarious. The body tree itself is
imperishable (HAM), because God pervades it. The tree is rooted in heaven and
since it aerial adventitious roots go down to anchor to the earth and Prakrti
(matter), we are susceptible to the temptations of evil. The middle branches
are the men and the sap that keeps flowing inside and sustaining the branches
are the Gunas (modes). Cutting the branches and the aerial roots figuratively
depicts transcending the gunas and a move to a higher plane― that of Sannyāsi.
In Chinese lore, the body is compared to the Bodhi tree (Tree of Wisdom). Katha
Upanishad 2.3.1: With the root above and branches below the fig tree stands:
That is pure, That is Brahman, That is immortal. In It the world rests and no
one goes beyond it. The upside down Tree of Life has roots in Brahman: The
tree, the roots, the trunk, and the branches represent Manifest Brahman or the
phenomenal world of Isvara, matter and beings.
Katha Upanishad describes Manifest Brahman as follows: He is self-born and first-born from the waters (Mula Prakrti) by an act of meditation. He resides in the cave of the heart of beings and is immanent in all causes and effects. He who knows this knows the Absolute in Him. Verse 2.1.6
It goes on to describe the Mother Goddess. She is Aditi, the Boundless. She is born as Prana (Breath or life) from the Absolute genderless Brahman, the nameless, and the formless. She is the Devatamayi (Mother of gods) and the soul of all beings. She stands in the inner recesses of the heart. Verse 2.1.7
Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bo
tree; Bo is short for bo-gaha, tree of wisdom; Bo tree is Pipal or Banyan tree;
Bo is wisdom, Bodhi is enlightenment, Buddhi is knowledge and Buddha is he who
attained enlightenment.
Krishna states
that he is Asvattha tree among trees. Jesus Christ says that he is the true
vine. It appears the trees have souls from what Lord Krishna and Jesus Christ
say.
Sage Narada
cursed the two sons of Kubera to become trees for knowingly playing naked in
the shoal of a river with Ghandarva women. The young women modestly put on
their clothes while the Kubera’s sons ignored the sage, who cursed them to
become trees for their arrogance, insolence, and ignorance; Krishna released
their souls and bodies after one hundred divine years by uprooting the trees.
Krishna drank
water from River Sarasvati, sat, and meditated under Asvattha (Pipal) tree in a
reclining position, before his departure to Goloka, Bhagavata Purana 3.4.3 and
8.
Asva, meaning
horse, is the root word for Asvattha, the tree; Asvamedha, horse sacrifice;
Asvatthaman, he who cried like a horse at birth; Asvatthaman, the elephant;
Asvini, the wife of Asvins, who took the form of a mare; and Asvinikumaras, the
sons of Asvini-the sons of a mare. Asvattha tree gained such name because
people used the tree’s shade for horses.
15.2:
Its branches extend downwards and upwards nourished by Gunas, with sense
objects as shoots or sprouts; and its roots extend downwards to the world of
men, bound to karma.
The tree has many adventitious roots, coming
down from the tree branches; the wider the tree grows the more adventitious
roots there are. These adventitious roots, compared to ego, ignorance and
vasanas supporting the heavy branches grow down, while the cosmic roots of the
tree trunk grow towards heaven and anchor in Brahman. The lower branches are synonymous
with human beings, animals, birds, reptiles, worms, insects, and insentient and
immovable matter. The upper branches are comparable to Ghandarvas, yaksas,
gods, and goddesses. The sap of Gunas nourishes the branches, the product of
Prakrti; the sap flowing through the upper branches contains Sattva (goodness
and virtue), while that of the lower branches comparable to animals, contains
Tamas (ignorance and delusion). The middle branches are the men with varying
combinations of the Gunas and thrive by the sap of Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas in
varying combinations. The adventitious roots of the middle and lower branches
represent bondage of the human beings and animals. The lateral branches are the
sense objects, namely sound, vision, smell, taste, and touch; the growing ends
of lateral branches are the ears, eyes, nose, mouth, and skin; the leaves
representing the Vedas reach for the sun and illumination from God. The
adventitious roots originate from branches, which draw nourishment from Gunas:
they are extensions of these branches and therefore of the gunas, which are
responsible for the way men behave. The adventitious roots or the gunas anchor
to Prakrti and bind the jivatma to karma and therefore to Samsāra. In this
world of beings, man has the most opportunity to advance to a higher state,
fall to lower state, or remain in the same state. The animals are born in the
lower state because they have to resolve the prārabda (past) karma
inherited from the past life; they do not accumulate new karma in the present
life because their acts are commensurate with their animal traits; and they are
incapable of making informed choice from Sattva, Rajas, or Tamas. But, man on
the other hand can accumulate new karma because he can choose his (thought),
word, and deed.
15.3: Neither its form nor its end nor its
beginning nor its support is seen. Having cut this firm-rooted Asvattham tree
by the strong weapon of detachment…
15.4: Thereafter, seek out that goal, attaining
which one does not return (again). Surrender to the (first and) Primal Person
from whom the ancient manifestation comes forth.
We have to cut the adventitious roots to
prevent lowermost branches from getting the sap of Tamas (darkness and
delusion); then we have to cut the adventitious roots, which supply the Rajas
sap (motion and passion) to the middle branches; now we are left with the upper
branches (and their adventitious roots), whose sap is Sattva (goodness, virtue,
and calmness). To attain to Brahman, we have to transcend all three Gunas and
therefore have to cut the tree, roots, and all. The tree represents the nonself
or Prakrti, and we have to separate the Jivātman from Prakrti, so it
merges with the Higher Self.
Let me explain what attaining to Brahman
means. It points to a certain quality of life and behavior. It is simply not
having the didactic knowledge of the Holy Scriptures; it is not simply the
rituals alone. Dharma, duty; sama, equanimity; dama, self-control;
vairāgya, indifference to worldly objects; uparati, desisting from sensual
enjoyment; sraddhā, faithfulness; and atha, “much more or more over,” (auspiciousness, authority, flair and
divine grace) are the preconditions for reaching Brahman. The fit person is the
one who knows his Vedas, has the attributes (described above), and is devoted
to the Lord only and detached from the world.
|
Dharma |
Sama |
Dama |
Vairāgya |
Uparati |
Sraddhā |
Atha |
|
Duty |
Equanimity |
Self-control |
Desirelessness |
Abstinence |
Faithfulness |
Much more |
Sraddhā is implicit faith in Hindu Holy
Scriptures. “Atha” has no English equivalent and means “much more” or “more
over” meaning auspiciousness, authority, flair, and divine grace.
15.5:
They, without false pride and delusion, having vanquished the evil of
attachment, eternally devoted to the Supreme Self, divorced from passion
(Kāmāh), free from dualities of happiness and distress, and delusion,
reach the eternal state.
15.6:
They never come back once they reach the supreme abode of Mine, where
the sun does not shine, nor the moon, nor the fire.
Mudaka Upanishad: 2.2.11: The sun, the moon,
the stars, and the lightning shine not there (where the Supreme Light is).
Where could this fire be? Everything shines “only after that shining light.”
His effulgence illumines this entire world. In many cultures, God is described
as the source of light and self-effulgent, not needing an external source for
its splendor.
The Self is the Supreme Light and
Consciousness; It is self-effulgent and gives light to the sun, the moon, the
stars, and the fire. Isvara is the creator of the universe and He is the light
and the heat in the sun and the fire, and the light in the moon.
The physical light removes the darkness in
order that there is a contact between the senses and the sense objects. The
sun, the moon, and the stars do not illumine the Self, for the Supreme
Knowledge or Consciousness is the One that illumines these heavenly objects.
When one reaches that Supreme Light, going past the hurdles of the
beginningless karma and avidya and embracing detachment, prapatti and
saranāgati, he never returns to the samsāra of births and rebirths.
15.7:
A fragment of My own Self becomes the eternal living soul in this world
of Jivatmas and draws the senses of material nature (Prakrti), of which the
mind is the sixth.
Karsha: the act of drawing
According to Panchadasi (Chapter 7), Pure Consciousness, that is God, looks in a mirror and sees its image which is called Cidabhasa. This image has no real life or existence without the Pure Consciousness. The mirror is Maya, illusory energy of the Lord, which is the causal agent of the universe. The image carries an aura of reflected glory. When the adjuncts of adventitious nature are removed, such as the mirror, the only remaining entity is the eternal Consciousness or Kutastha. Kûtastha = immovable, immutable, occupying the highest place. Cid-abhasa = Cid + Âbhâsa = Intelligence, Consciousness + luster, apparition, phantom = reflected intelligence or consciousness. That Kutastha is our substratum and we are the Cidabhasa. Cidabhasa is an illusion with no substance. Cidabhasa apparition does not exist without Kutastha Consciousness; therefore, the illusion has a basis in Kutastha which is Brahman. Cidabhasa is false or a pretender from the transcendental point of view and not from empirical stance. In empirical world, Cidabhasa is a palpable entity. The bottom line is that Cidabhasa is Brahman with limitations (Upadhi), such as Avidya (ignorance). Here it is spiritual ignorance meaning that Cidabhasa apparition does not identify with Brahman-Kutastha Consciousness but with the body that houses the individual soul. Most of our lives are spent in the upkeep of our body, mind, and matter and not the soul, whose origin is Brahman-Kutastha Consciousness or Soul. We have doctors to mend our body and mind but there is no one to tend to our soul
15.8:
When Isvarah enters and leaves a body, he takes all these (senses and
mind) and goes as the wind carries the fragrance from their place (flowers).
Avāpnoti: to reach, attain, obtain,
gain. Utkrāmati: to step out, to pass away. Āsaya: place, seat, bed,
asylum
Read more on Vāsanās (fragrance),
Samskāras (impressions), and subtle body elsewhere.
15.9:
He enjoys the sense objects presided over by the ears, the eyes, the
tactile sense, also the tongue, the nose, and the mind.
15.10:
The ignorant do not see the “self” leaving the body, residing in the
body or enjoying the sense pleasures of the Gunas. Those who have the eye of
wisdom can see.
15.11:
The striving yogis can see “It” established in their self. The
imprudent, not established in the self, though striving, do not see this.
Acētasah: the imprudent
15.12:
The splendor coming from the sun illumines the whole world; that which
is in the moon and that which is also in the fire, know (Arjuna) that splendor
is Mine.
Know that the splendor from the sun, the
moon, and the fire is Mine.
15.13:
I sustain all beings with My Power, entering earth. Becoming the
juice-giving moon, I nourish all the herbs (plants).
It is said that the plants manufacture the
sap under the influence of moonlight.
15.14:
Becoming the (digestive) fire in the bodies of all living creatures, and
moving with (ease and) equal balance in upward and downward breaths, I digest
foods of four kinds.
Vaisvānara is Agni or fire and
represents the fire of digestion. Visva+nara means universal+man, belonging or
common to man. According to Kurma Purana, Book two chapter 6.16-17, the
fire-god, Vaisvānara digests the food eaten by day and night on the orders
of Isvara, the clinical manifestation of Brahman. Vaisvānara is the god
who cooks the food by virtue of the fact he is the fire-god and carries the
oblations to the forefathers.
Becoming the digestive fire in the bodies of
all living creatures, and moving with ease in inspiration and expiration, I
digest all four varieties of foods. The food is classified according to the modes
of ingestion: licking food, sucking food, drinking food, and chewing food. Here
it a functional classification: Honey is a “licking” food, hand-softened mango
fruit with intact skin is a “sucking” food, milk is a “drinking” food, and
vegetable is a “chewing” food.
Both Vaisnavites and Saivites claim that
their Isvara (Narayana or Siva) is the Vaisvanara, the fire-god. Here in this
verse, Krishna (Narayana) claims to be Vaisvanara.
15.15: I am seated in the hearts of all living
beings. From Me come the memory, the knowledge, and the removal. I am also
the
knowable from the Vedas. I am the author of the Vedas and the knower of Vedas.
Apōhanam:
removal
Memory and knowledge are not the usual
faculties of the mind and the brain as the scientists have taught us. Memory
and knowledge of the “self” are what they are:
Memory is recollection of something known already; each soul carries a memory
of its origin and destination, which are the Lord’s Greater Soul. During its
passage in the living bodies, the soul forgets its origin (Self) because of its
association with matter. As the association with matter diminishes, the memory
of the self increases. To restore this memory of the self, man has to resort to
karma yoga, jnāna yoga, bhakti yoga, or Prapatti and Saranagati. Let me
give you an instance by an allegory: The genes that we inherit from our parents
carry the memory of our skin and eye color. The memory of the self is in many ways
similar: our subtle body carries that memory from birth to birth.
Knowledge of the self is discussed elsewhere.
Here Apōhanam means removal of doubt and
faulty perception, which impede the progress of the soul towards liberation.
15.16:
There are two (kinds of) people (entities) in this world, the perishable
(Ksara) and the imperishable (Aksara). The Perishable are the bodies of all
living beings and it is said that the immutable or unchanging is the
Imperishable.
Contextually, Purusa is an entity, rather
than a person. Kūta-sthah is the immutable or unchanging Self. The bodies
perish and the Self is imperishable.
15.17:
He enters and sustains the three worlds and is known as the
Imperishable, the Supreme Controller (Isvara) and the Supreme Soul.
This Supreme person is different from the
Ksara and Aksara, mentioned in verse 16.
Uttma Purusa: Highest person; Paramātma: Supreme Self; Isvara: Controller and the Lord, God of
gods; Anyah: is different.
15.18:
Because I go beyond the perishable and higher than the Imperishable and
supreme, I am renowned in the world and in the Vedas as Purushottama (Supreme
Person).
The Lord is above the perishable bodies and higher than Atma itself. He is the Supreme Person in the Vedas and the universe. It also means that ontologically, he is the highest; the next entity is Aksram followed by Avyaktam (Imperishable and Unmainfest).
15.19: He, who is undeluded, knows Me as the
Supreme Person, knows everything, and worships Me with his heart and soul, O
son of Bharata.
Sarvabhāvena: Whole-heartedly, heart and soul. Complete satisfaction.
15.20:
O sinless one, I have explained thus the most secret doctrine. Knowing
thus, one becomes the enlightened and would have done his duty well, Bharata.
End BG Chapter Fifteen: The Supreme Person