Verse 15.2
Speaker: Krishna
Sanskrit
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः | अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके ||२||
Transliteration (IAST)
adhaś cordhvaṁ prasṛtās tasya śākhā guṇa-pravṛddhā viṣaya-pravālāḥ | adhaś ca mūlāny anusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣya-loke ||2||
Word-by-Word Meanings
Translation
Its branches spread above and below, nourished by the gunas, with sense objects as its buds. Its roots stretch downward into the human world, binding souls through action.
Commentary
Shankaracharya elaborates that the three gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas) nourish the branches of this cosmic tree, producing the varied experiences of existence. The secondary roots represent vasanas (latent impressions) that bind beings to karma in the human realm. Madhva notes that the upward branches represent higher beings (devas) while downward branches represent lower forms of life.