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Bhagavadgītā: Chapter XV (Puruṣottamayoga)
The Yoga of the Highest Person
Introduction
Now Lord Kṛṣṇa teaches Arjuna about the Yoga of the Supreme Person...
Important: All that is in brackets and italicized within the translation has been added by me in order to complete the sense of a particular phrase or sentence. In turn, all that is between double hyphen (--...--) constitutes clarifying further information also added by me. In addition, note that I will use quotation marks to delimit text only when the person speaking is not Sañjaya himself (the narrator). Therefore, the words spoken by Sañjaya will not be delimited by quotation marks.
Chapter 15: Puruṣottamayoga (The Yoga of the Highest Person)
श्रीभगवानुवाच
ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम्।
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित्॥१॥
Śrībhagavānuvāca
Ūrdhvamūlamadhaḥśākhamaśvatthaṁ prāhuravyayam|
Chandāṁsi yasya parṇāni yastaṁ veda sa vedavit||1||
The venerable Lord (śrī-bhagavān) said (uvāca):
"(The sages) spoke (prāhuḥ) of an imperishable (avyayam) Sacred Fig Tree --Ficus Religiosa-- (aśvattham) whose roots are upward (ūrdhva-mūlam), its branches downward (adhas-śākham), (and) its (yasya) leaves (parṇāni) (are) the Vedic hymns --or also «the Vedas», or even «the meters» is a possible translation, although it is not suitable in this context, I suppose-- (chandāṁsi). He who (yaḥ... saḥ) knows It --that sacred tree-- (tam veda) (is) a knower of the Vedas (veda-vit)"||1||
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः।
अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके॥२॥
Adhaścordhvaṁ prasṛtāstasya śākhā guṇapravṛddhā viṣayapravālāḥ|
Adhaśca mūlānyanusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣyaloke||2||
"Its --of that Sacred Fig Tree-- (tasya) branches (śākhāḥ) extend (prasṛtāḥ) downward (adhas) and (ca) upward (ūrdhvam), growing due to the guṇa-s --lit. increased by the guṇa-s-- (guṇa-pravṛddhāḥ), (and) with shoots (in the form) of sense objects (viṣaya-pravālāḥ). And (ca) below (adhas), in the world of men (manuṣya-loke), extend (anusantatāni) the roots (mūlāni) related to/resulting in actions (karma-anubandhīni) --another possible translation of the second line is: «And the roots related to/resulting in actions extend downward in the world of men»--"||2||
न रूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न चादिर्न च सम्प्रतिष्ठा।
अश्वत्थमेनं सुविरूढमूलमसङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा॥३॥
ततः पदं तत्परिमार्गितव्यं यस्मिन्गता न निवर्तन्ति भूयः।
तमेव चाद्यं पुरुषं प्रपद्ये यतः प्रवृत्तिः प्रसृता पुराणी॥४॥
Na rūpamasyeha tathopalabhyate nānto na cādirna ca sampratiṣṭhā|
Aśvatthamenaṁ suvirūḍhamūlamasaṅgaśastreṇa dṛḍhena chittvā||3||
Tataḥ padaṁ tatparimārgitavyaṁ yasmingatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ|
Tameva cādyaṁ puruṣaṁ prapadye yataḥ pravṛttiḥ prasṛtā purāṇī||4||
"Its --of that Fig Tree-- (asya) form (rūpam) is not perceived (na... upalabhyate) in this way (tathā) here (iha), nor (na) its end (antaḥ) nor (na ca) its beginning (ādiḥ) nor (na ca) its continuity (sampratiṣṭhā). After cutting (chittvā) this Sacred Fig Tree (aśvattham enam), whose roots are well-developed (suvirūḍha-mūlam), with the firm sword of detachment (asaṅga-śastreṇa dṛḍhena), from now on (tatas), that (tad) State (padam) must be sought (parimārgitavyam) from which --lit. «in which», I expected «yasmāt»-- (yasmin) those who have attained (It) (gatāḥ) do not return (na nivartanti) again (bhūyas). (One should say this:) «I take refuge (prapadye) solely in that Primordial Person (tam eva ca ādyam puruṣam) from whom (yatas) the ancient (purāṇī) Manifestation --referring to the Manifestation of the universe-- (pravṛttiḥ) has arisen (prasṛtā)"||3-4||
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