Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15, A Scripture on its own
Chapter 15 in Bhagavad Gita is the most important chapter of the entire text. In this chapter, Shri Krishna covers the complete spiritual knowledge (about Individual, World, Ishwar and his manifestations) in just 20 verses. This chapter is titled as “puruṣottamayoga” (पुरुषोत्तमयोग), means “Union with the Supreme being”. As a tradition, this chapter is chanted before meals, to remember the oneness of the individual with the universe and its creator.
It is said that Shri Ved Vyasa created Mahabharat by churning the ocean of the spiritual knowledge from all the spiritual texts (viz. 18 puranas, 4 Veda etc.). Bhagavat Gita is said to be the summary all the knowledge contained in Mahabharat. Finally, the chapter 15, is the essence of the entire Bhagavad Gita. Thus, this brief chapter of just 20 verses, covers everything that one need to know for his spiritual evolution, provided he has sufficient intellectual maturity to understand and assimilate it. While the other chapters are topical in nature (bhakti, jnana, karma etc.), chapter 15, despite being brief, talks about the Supreme being, and enables one to become one with that Supreme being. Thus, this chapter is viewed as the independent scripture by itself.
Nature of the Universe
Shri Krishna begins this chapter by describing the nature of this transactional world using the metaphor of a tree (Ref V15.1 to V15.6). The intent is to understand the futility of the world and develop detachment from it. Shri Krishna uses the inverted Peepal tree (with roots up, branches below) as a metaphor to explain the nature of this world. Peepal tree – aśvattham (अश्वत्थम्) has a special spiritual significance in Sanatana dharma culture and is worshipped like gods. This tree is generally found around every temple and is believed to be the abode of higher spiritual beings. In chapter 10 (V10.26), Shri Krishna described himself as “Amongst all the trees, I am aśvattham”. Kathopanishad uses the same inverted peepal tree analogy to describe the nature of the world.
Per Sanskrit etymology, the world अश्वत्थम्, literally expands to – na śvaḥ stha (न श्वः स्थ), meaning “that which will not be there tomorrow (the way it is today)”. This indicates constantly changing nature (of the world). Nothing in the world remains static. Things constantly change. Planets move, rivers flow, plants grow, beings are born and die. Even for an individual, his body, emotions and intellect change. His relationships and situations change too.
Despite being constantly changing in nature, the world is perceived to be unchanging by the man of a limited perspective (an ignorant). The perfect example here is a river. River appears constant, but is constantly flowing, changing every moment. This is apparent constancy – pariṇāmī nityatā (परिणामी नित्यता). Thus, the World, that appears as constant due to limitation of human senses and limited human life span, is never constant.
Analogy of the inverted tree is used to indicate that its roots are upwards (ऊर्ध्वमूलम्). This symbolizes that the source of creation higher, cause is transcendental. While the branches are below (अधःशाखम्), indicating the effect (of the cause) is at the transactional level. Thus, creation is at lower level than creator.
This analogy has a beauty of poetry and a depth of philosophy. Roots are core, subtler (not perceived externally to observer) and nourishes the entire tree. They were present even before branches were created. They remain even after branches are destroyed. Similarly, the Creator / Paramaatma is core, subtler and eternal. He nourishes the world by providing the substratum of existence and consciousness. On the contrary, the world (like branches) is perishable and perceivable effect of roots.
Shri Krishna compares leaves of this inverted metaphorical tree with veda. Here “veda” represents (any) source of knowledge. Just like how leaves nourish the tree through light, knowledge (spiritual or worldly) nourishes the world. Not just nourishment, leaves of knowledge also provides protection to the tree of world and even give it a beautiful look. This tree of world cannot survive without its leaves of knowledge.
Going further deeper in analogy, branches of tree are said to be nourished by the three gunas of prakriti (sattva, rajas and tamas). And just like how every branch has a nodule from where other sub-branches come out, these branches have nodules of sense objects (e.g. Form is the sense object for the sense of vision, fragrance is the sense object for the sense of smell etc.). Shri Krishna poetically but clearly indicates the growth of these branches (and thus the tree) is due to senses going outwards towards sense objects due to three guna of prakriti. Naturally such union of senses with sense objects forces humans to act to satisfy their desires, only to create and strengthen the bondage of karma, and getting deeply trapped in this tree of samsara.
Thus, this world is a result of union of sense objects and senses (enriched with gunas of prakriti) but inherently supported by the Supreme through the substratum of existence and consciousness. An individual, forgetting his true nature (as pure existence and consciousness) is trapped in it thru actions and attachment to results (Ref V15.1 and V15.2).
Shri Krishna boldly declares that the knower of this knowledge (about the world), knows everything. Of course, this poetically refers to depths of philosophy and spirituality.
Shri Krishna does not stop at the definition of problem (individual trapped in the world), he even declares (Ref V15.3 and V15.4) that one can destroy this firmly rooted tree of samsara through an axe of dispassion and detachment. Upon doing so, the illusionary tree disappears and only the substratum of the Supreme remains, the one without the name or the form, without the beginning or the end, without any foundation. Only human birth gives one an opportunity to get freed from this bondage using its highly discriminative intellect. Thus, it is the duty of every human being to pursue this path, having gone on which, there is no return (to bondage and worldly sorrows). One should seek refuge in the eternal Supreme being (the roots) from whom all this (world) is said to have been originated. Swami Chinmayanadji famously summarized this briefly as “detach and attach” – i.e. Detach from the temporary, transactional world of names and forms, and attach to the eternal, transcendental Supreme.
Qualifiers to Walk on the Path of Knowledge
Of course, if it were this easy, every human being would experience union with the Supreme. But that is not the case. We see the world full of deluded human beings, carrying on individual identity, suffering with anger, lust, greed, pride, jealousy etc. So, who can experience oneness with the Supreme? Walking on the path of knowledge demands strong prerequisites. One must have necessary qualifications to walk on this path. Details on such qualifications are elaborately given by Shri Shankaracharyaji in “Tattvabodha” (Four-fold qualification), Shri Krishna briefly mentions a few qualities (Ref V15.5) that one should develop and sufficiently possess to start walking on this path.
One must win one over his sense of false pride and should go beyond praise and criticism. Such false sense of pride comes when one strongly identifies with his intellect and has a strong attitude of “I know”. Such delusion (moha) of false identification can only be destroyed through the right knowledge, and false pride is destroyed through devotion.
As said earlier, detachment with the world is must for one to attach with the Supreme. Thus, Shri Krishna emphasis on winning over all evils (of thoughts, speech and action) born out of strong attachment. Attachment is an obsession or dependency on any place, person, situation or an object. Such attachment must be destroyed. It’s worth nothing that destruction of attachment implicitly covers destruction of aversion as well. Similar to the attachment, aversion can also lead one to bondage by keeping one obsessed about avoidance of any place, person, situation or an object. Thus, attachment and aversion are two sides of a same coin.
Having developed detached attitude and destroyed delusion of false pride, one must withdraw from all selfish worldly activities. This statement must be read carefully. Shri Krishna is not asking people to avoid all actions and get lazy. Instead, he is asking one to withdraw from all actions that are performed to seek one’s own fulfillment from the world and its objects. Such selfish action only increases bondage and dependency on the world. Actions should not be carried out in search for joy, instead they must be carried out as an outcome of joy – i.e. selfless service to all beings, without the sense of doership. Along with such charitable, egoless actions, one must abide himself firmly in the Self at all the times. This refers to engaging the mind in spiritual pursuits of one’s liking like meditation, japa, pooja etc. This is how one gets attached to the Supreme (having detached from the world).
No matter how deep one is engaged in spiritual activities (attached to the Supreme), being embodied, one will face worldly experiences of pleasure and pain, impacting the body, mind and intellect of the seeker. The wise one must develop sufficient tolerance / forbearance and raise himself beyond all these dualities (pairs of opposite) like hot/cold, pleasure/pain, pride/criticism. Such a seeker attains that imperishable state of Supreme consciousness.
The Supreme State
Finally, Shri Krishna ends the topic beautifully describing that Supreme state in verse 6, having gone where, one never returns. It is referred as the state where neither the Sun, nor the moon, nor fire shines. In other words, it is the state beyond transactional reality of this world of names and forms (with the Sun, the moon and the fire etc.). The state that is not illumined by such worldly objects, but rather self-illumined.
The Sun is a reference to eyes (and all senses of perceptions). Moon is the seat of mind, and fire represents speech (and all senses of actions). Collectively, Shri Krishna thus describes that the Supreme state is unreachable by one’s senses or mind. Kathopanishad has a similar shloka (Ref: Kathopanishad – Na tatra suryo bhaanti, na chandra taarakam…). It extends this reference to Sun, moon and fire even further, in a beautiful way. In addition to being unreachable by the Sun, the moon and fire, this Supreme state is referred as the cause of the Sun, the moon and fire. This Supreme state is the cause of all causes, beyond the darkness of ignorance, and beyond transactional reality of five core elements.
श्रीकृष्णार्पणम् अस्तु ।
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