PHRASES IN THE GITA - 200

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PHRASES IN THE GITA - 200

ऊर्ध्व मूलं अधः शाखम् अश्वत्थम् प्राहुरव्ययम् ..  (अध्याय १५ - श्लोक १)
ஊர்த்வ மூலம் அதஹ ஶாகம் அஶ்வத்தம் ப்ராஹுரவ்யயம் ..  (அத்யாயம் 15 - ஶ்லோகம் 1)
Oordhva Moolam Adhah Shakkham Aswattham Praahuravyayam ..  (Chapter 15 - Shlokam 1)

Meaning :  This world is regarded as 'Avyaya' imperishable Asvattha Tree , reverse with roots above and branches below ..

Two types of lives .  Vegetation and Mobile .  The vegetation types , trees , plants etc . are stationary . The other type includes all the animals including humans ..

The classification of lives can be in another way ..  Three types ..  The first type ..  Humans with senses , Mind , the discriminating and thinking faculty (Buddhi) and the memory storage faculty (Chitta) ..  The second type .. animals with senses , but limited Buddhi ..  Animals , birds , reptiles etc . These have instinctive Buddhi and can search for and get their necessities but not discriminating and decision making faculty ..  That is exclusive possession of Humans ..  The third type ..  trees , plants , creepers , cactus , grass , algae .. etc .  have no senses and very limited Buddhi just enough to get the necessities and survive ..  (We may be expressing our ignorance and arrogance in saying that these do not have senses ..  We may better say that on this date we do not know if these can see , hear , recognize sense of touch ..)

Trees are very vital in Hindu life ..  Our great forefathers had recognized Life in trees and plants , many centuries before the West could even start debating the subject ..  Hindus regard majestic trees as Rishis performing Tapas ..  Hindus regard cutting of trees as an immeasurable sin ..  If a tree is to be cut for necessity , it has to be compensated by planting ten samplings of trees ..  Hindu Shastra forbid even plucking of leaves and flowers from trees after Sun set as they regard these to be sleeping just like humans and other lives ..  To plant a sapling and grow a tree is regarded as an act of Punya ..

We can realize how deeply trees and plants are integrated in to Hindu life when we visit the western countries ..  South Afrika , for instance has three communities .  The Blacks , the Native residents .  The Whites , the ones who migrated from Europe around 500 years back in search of new lands ..  The Hindus migrant or indentured Labour who were taken to Afrika almost 170 years ago ..  The Black areas are almost barren , with no trees and plants ..  The White areas have Greenery but only of Cactus , flower-less and fruit-less trees and plants ..  They probably see insects and birds likely to be invited by trees and plants as disturbance and unwanted guests ..  The Hindu areas are full of Plantain , Mango , Sapota , Neem , Hibiscus trees and Tulasi plants ..  Trees travel with the Hindu right from his birth (for the cradle) to death (for cremation)

All the trees and plants have life ..  A few are regarded as Forms of the Divine and worshipped by the Hindus ..  The Ashvattha Tree is regarded as Form of the Trinity .. Brahma , Vishnu and Mahesh ..  Pradakshina or Parikrama (Going around) the Ashvattha tree is regarded as an act of Punya ..

The Banyan is worshipped by married women for long life of the husband and for begetting a child to continue the tradition ..

The Neem is worshipped as Form of the Divine Mother ..

Tulasi plant is integral part of every Hindu house ..  It is regarded as Form of Mother Mahalakshmi ..  Lamp is lighted and Namaskar offered to Her daily ..  Tulasi Vivaham or marriage of Tulasi to Vishnu is a very special occasion ..  Permission is sought from Her before plucking leaves ..  Only a single leaf is to be plucked and that too without using our finger nails as that is regarded as painful ..

There is a Sthala Vruksha or Location Tree unique to every Temple ..  The tree is worshipped with equal reverence as the Deity ..

Pagans / Druids in Europe and other pre - christian faiths worship trees ..  They were tortured and massacred for this "sin" of theirs in every European country ..  The only two faiths which refuse to regard Trees as Divine , nay , even as Life ..  are Christian and Islamik faiths ..  They obstinately hold on to their view that nothing else , none other than Jesus and Alla are to be worshipped ..  One faith flourishes in barren , tree-less Arabik deserts ..  The other is responsible for brutal exploitation of Nature and destruction of trees in their resolve to turn the earth into a barren land ..

Here , Shri Krishna says , "The world is regarded as an inverted Ashwatha tree , with roots above and branches down , believed to be 'eternal and indestructible' ..  The tree is reliant on the root for supply of all its nourishments ..  Similarly , the world is reliant on Him ..  All the lives derive everything from Him ..  He is the source ..  (In fact root in Samskrit is Moola or Source)  As there is a general belief that His abode is above , the Tree is pictured upside down with the roots above ..  Roots are steady and stable while the tree itself is changing , getting destroyed continuously ..  Similarly , the world is continuously changing but He remains Unchanged ..

This tree is regarded as Avyaya or imperishable ..  But , it is not so ..  It is always moving towards destruction ..  The world , depicted by the Tree is also continuously moving towards destruction ..  But , the short and ignorant vision of humans sees it as "eternal" and "imperishable" ..  because he is attached to it , allured by its glorious but mythical attractions ..  Hence , he regards this world as Avyaya ..  May we not get attracted to the branches , the leaves , the flowers etc .. but look at the roots ..  In fact , in the next phrase , Shri Krishna suggests firmly cutting down of this tree with sword of detachment ..  Read in the next Phrase ..