Bhagvad Gita - Chapter: 15 Purusottama Yogah

Purusottama Yogah - The banyan tree with its roots above and branches below is said to be eternal. Its leaves are the Vedic hymns; one who knows this tree is a knower of the Vedas.

श्रीभगवानुवाच ऊर्ध्वमूलमध:शाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् |
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् ||1||

The banyan tree with its roots above and branches below is said to be eternal. Its leaves are the Vedic hymns; one who knows this tree is a knower of the Vedas.

Ashvattha: A sacred fig tree symbolizing the material world.
Vedas: Ancient Hindu scriptures containing spiritual wisdom.

The inverted Ashvattha tree symbolizes the material world, deeply rooted in illusion while drawing sustenance from the Supreme. This imagery sets the stage for understanding the transient nature of existence and the need to seek its ultimate reality rather than getting entangled in its branches.

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Purusottama Yogah - Its branches extend downward and upward, nourished by the modes of nature. Sense objects are its buds. The roots extend downwards, binding the soul to material existence.

अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवाला: |
अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके ||2||

Its branches extend downward and upward, nourished by the modes of nature. Sense objects are its buds. The roots extend downwards, binding the soul to material existence.

Gunas: The three modes of nature - sattva, rajas, and tamas.
Karma: Actions that bind the soul to the material world.

The tree’s downward and upward-growing branches represent worldly attachments and karma, growing endlessly through actions influenced by the three gunas. Its roots, binding the soul, indicate the continuous cycle of rebirth, emphasizing the need to break free through spiritual wisdom and detachment.

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Purusottama Yogah - The real form of this tree is not perceivable here. It has neither a beginning nor an end. One must cut this deeply rooted tree with the weapon of detachment.

न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा |
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूलमसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा ||3||

The real form of this tree is not perceivable here. It has neither a beginning nor an end. One must cut this deeply rooted tree with the weapon of detachment.

Asanga: Detachment, the tool to cut through material bondage.
Mula: The deep root representing attachment and ignorance.

Krishna now urges detachment, presenting the sword of discernment as the only means to cut through illusion. Unlike temporary relief from suffering, this path requires complete renunciation of attachment to material desires, making way for true liberation, which will be elaborated upon in the following verses.

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Purusottama Yogah - Thereafter, one must seek that supreme state from which, having gone, one never returns. There, one should surrender to the Supreme Being, from whom everything has emanated.

तत: पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूय: |
तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये यत: प्रवृत्ति: प्रसृता पुराणी ||4||

Thereafter, one must seek that supreme state from which, having gone, one never returns. There, one should surrender to the Supreme Being, from whom everything has emanated.

Purusham: The Supreme Being, source of all creation.
Pravritti: The cycle of material existence and actions.

After severing attachment, one must seek the supreme abode, a realm beyond return. Here, Krishna indirectly describes himself as the ultimate refuge, the origin from which all existence emerges. This verse marks the transition from understanding worldly entanglement to seeking eternal truth.

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Purusottama Yogah - Free from pride and delusion, victorious over attachment, ever devoted to the Self, freed from dualities of pleasure and pain, the wise reach the eternal goal.

निर्मानमोहा जितसङ्गदोषा अध्यात्मनित्या विनिवृत्तकामा: |
द्वन्द्वैर्विमुक्ता: सुखदु:खसंज्ञैर्गच्छन्त्यमूढा: पदमव्ययं तत् ||5||

Free from pride and delusion, victorious over attachment, ever devoted to the Self, freed from dualities of pleasure and pain, the wise reach the eternal goal.

Nirmana: Freedom from pride and ego.
Dvandva: Dualities such as pleasure and pain, success and failure.

Liberation is not about external renunciation alone but internal transformation. Conquering pride, desires, and dualities leads to clarity and spiritual stability. These qualities define those who successfully detach from worldly suffering and approach the eternal, unchanging reality beyond material illusions.

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Purusottama Yogah - That supreme abode of Mine is not illuminated by the sun, moon, or fire. Having reached there, one never returns. That is My supreme abode.

न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावक: |
यद्गत्वा न निवर्तन्ते तद्धाम परमं मम ||6||

That supreme abode of Mine is not illuminated by the sun, moon, or fire. Having reached there, one never returns. That is My supreme abode.

Paramam Dham: The supreme abode of Krishna, beyond material existence.
Surya: The Sun, symbolizing worldly light.

Krishna now reveals the nature of his supreme abode, distinct from the perishable world. Unlike the sun or fire that illuminates material existence, his realm is self-luminous, a space beyond return. This verse reinforces that true liberation means reaching a state where suffering and rebirth cease completely.

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ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूत: सनातन: |
मन:षष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ||7||

The eternal soul in the material world is My fragmental part. It is drawn into material existence by the mind and the senses.

Jiva: The individual soul, a part of the Supreme.
Indriyas: The senses, which pull the soul towards the material world.

The soul’s entanglement in the material world is due to the mind and senses, which pull it toward external experiences. Though a fragment of Krishna himself, the soul, bound by desires, struggles within this cycle. This verse highlights the essential struggle of human existence—the conflict between material pull and spiritual longing.

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