Bhagavad-gītā 15.2
Read once with your eyes. Read again aloud.
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः।अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके।।15.2।।
adhaśh chordhvaṁ prasṛitās tasya śhākhā guṇa-pravṛiddhā viṣhaya-pravālāḥ adhaśh cha mūlāny anusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣhya-loke
Its branches shoot upwards and downwards, deriving their nourishment from the qualities; its buds are the objects of sense; and its roots, which follow the law, causing man's regeneration and degeneration, pierce downwards into the soil.
English rendering by Shri Purohit Swami. Each source voice remains named.
Build the sentence from its parts
Read across once, then cover the meanings and recover them from the Sanskrit forms.
| Sanskrit form | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| 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 |
The countless objects, large and small, which life needs are all products of the five elements through the activity of the alities. This tree of Samsara is nourished by the three alities of Nature.
Attributed explanatory witness: Swami Sivananda. Chapter lens: Follow the inverted tree image, the distinction of persons, the embodied journey, divine support and Puruṣottama.
Three named reading witnesses
Śaṅkara edition witness
Swami GambiranandaThe branches of that Tree, extending downwards and upwards, are strengthened by the qualities and have sense-objects as their shoots. And the roots, which are followed by actions, spread downwards in the human world [According to A.G. and M.S. manusya-loke means a body distinguished by Brahminhood etc.].
Rāmānuja edition witness
Swami Adidevananda(a) Its branches extend both above and below, nourished by the Gunas. Their shoots are sense objects. (b) And their secondary roots extend downwards, resulting in actions that bind in the world of humans.
Sivananda commentary witness
Swami SivanandaThe countless objects, large and small, which life needs are all products of the five elements through the activity of the alities. This tree of Samsara is nourished by the three alities of Nature.
These are concise, attributed reading witnesses from identified editions. They are presented for comparison and are not merged into one anonymous interpretation.
Meaning map
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- 1
Its branches shoot upwards and downwards, deriving their nourishment from the qualities
- 2
its buds are the objects of sense
- 3
and its roots, which follow the law, causing man's regeneration and degeneration, pierce downwards into the soil
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