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Chapter 15 • Verse 2
The Yoga of the Supreme Person
MEANING & CONTEXT
Krishna details how the ashvattha tree works: 'Adhaś cordhvaṁ prasṛtāḥ'—its branches spread both upward and downward. But here's the key: 'Guṇa-pravṛddhāḥ'—nourished by the gunas. The three modes of nature (sattva, rajas, tamas) feed this tree. 'Viṣaya-pravālāḥ'—sense objects are the buds. Every desire, every attachment, every sensory experience you crave becomes a bud that grows into a branch. The tree thrives on your desires. 'Adhaś ca mūlāny anusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣya-loke'—the roots extend downward into the human world, binding you through karma. Every action creates karma, and karma binds you to the tree. The more you act with attachment, the more the roots grow. The more the roots grow, the more entangled you become. This is the cycle: gunas feed the tree, sense objects are buds, actions create karma, karma binds you to the tree, and the tree keeps growing. To break free, you must stop feeding it—detach from the gunas, transcend sense objects, act without attachment to results.
Explore Human Experiences
How this ancient wisdom applies to your daily life
Key Takeaway
The ashvattha tree grows through a mechanism: sense objects (what you see, want) are buds. Your gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas) nourish them. Your actions create karma that binds you. Each fulfilled desire creates new buds. The tree spreads upward and downward, entangling you. But here's the key: not every bud needs to grow. You can cut them before they become branches by recognizing them, not feeding them with attachment, and acting without attachment to results. The tree only grows when you feed it—when you desire with attachment, act with attachment, and create karma that binds you. Cut the feeding mechanism, and the tree stops growing.
Personal Reflection
Where are you feeding the tree? What buds (desires, sense objects) are you nourishing? What actions are creating karma that binds you? Can you recognize a bud before it becomes a branch? What would cutting the feeding mechanism look like?
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