Chapter 15, Verse 2 (Bhagavad Gita 15.2)
Chapter 15: Puruṣhottam Yog – The Yoga of the Supreme Divine Personality
Sanskrit Shloka
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः।अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके
Transliteration
adhaśh chordhvaṁ prasṛitās tasya śhākhā guṇa-pravṛiddhā viṣhaya-pravālāḥ adhaśh cha mūlāny anusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣhya-loke
Word Meanings
adhaḥ—downward; cha—and; ūrdhvam—upward; prasṛitāḥ—extended; tasya—its; śhākhāḥ—branches; guṇa—modes of material nature; pravṛiddhāḥ—nourished; viṣhaya—objects of the senses; pravālāḥ—buds; adhaḥ—downward; cha—and; mūlāni—roots; anusantatāni—keep growing; karma—actions; anubandhīni—bound; manuṣhya-loke—in the world of humans
Translation
Its branches extend both downward and upward, nourished by the Gunas; its buds are the sense-objects. Below, in the human world, the roots spread out, causing the bonds of Karma.
Meaning & Commentary
In this profound revelation, Bhagwan Shri Krishna illustrates the cosmic Ashvattha tree, representing the entanglement of the soul in the material world. Shri Krishna explains that this illusory creation is sustained by the three modes of nature, constantly pulling the jiva into the cycle of desire and action. By comparing the sense-objects to buds, the Supreme Lord highlights how our cravings sustain the very structure of our bondage. Shri Krishna invites Arjuna, and all seekers, to recognize that these roots—our past actions—keep us shackled to the cycle of birth and death. True liberation begins when a soul turns its vision toward the Supreme Lord Krishna, severing this tree of illusion through detachment and divine knowledge.