208. Inverted Tree of Life
T he fifteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita is called ‘ Purushottam Yoga’ - yoga of the Supreme Being. Krishna begins the chapter by describing the inverted tree of life and says, “The wise speak of an eternal Ashvattham (Peepal) tree, with roots above, branches below, whose leaves are hymns of Vedas . He who knows this tree gains the wisdom of Vedas (15.1). Nourished by the three gunas , the branches of the tree extend upward and downward; its buds are the sense-objects; the roots hang downwards as actions and bind the humans” (15.2). Firstly, those who know this tree gain the wisdom of the Vedas . The literal meaning of Veda s is knowledge. One possible interpretation is that one doesn’t have to take the pain of reading the Vedas to attain the wisdom presented by them. Once this tree of life is understood at the existential level, the same wisdom is attained. Secondly, Ashvattham means ‘that which doesn’t remain the same tomorrow’. But the tree is described as eternal. ...