Commentary on the Bhagavadgita : 22 - Swami Krishnananda.

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Friday, February 25, 2022.19:00

Discourse 42 :

Chapter-15 Begins: The world as an Inverted Tree.

POST-22.

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This point is similar to the other well-known analogy of two birds perched on a single tree. 

This analogy is in the Veda and also in the Upanishad. 

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Mundakopanishad :Chapter-3, Section-1, Mantram-1

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"Dvau suparna sayuja sakhaya

samanam vrksham parisasvajate, 

tayor anyah pippalam svadv atty-

anasnan anyo abhicakasiti." 

On this large tree, two birds are perched. 

One of the birds is busy eating the sweet berries, the fruits that are yielded by this wonderful tree, but, unfortunately, these are forbidden fruit. 

So delicious is this fruit, so rapidly is the bird gulping the fruit, so insatiable is the desire to eat it, and so endlessly is this activity of eating going on, that it has lost consciousness that there is another bird sitting by its side. 

If we are at a large luncheon and are given delicious dishes, we may not notice the person sitting next to us because of our enchantment by the food. 

The bird that is by the side of this indulging bird is not eating anything. 

It is just sitting there and gazing at all the wonders of this manifestation of the tree, knowing everything about it, root and branch, but not concerned with either the majesty of the tree, the size of the tree, or the beauty of its product, the fruit. 

The bird that is eating the fruit of this tree is attached. 

The bird that is unconcerned and is just looking at the tree is detached. 

The tree cannot affect the bird that is detached, but the bird that is attached is bound hand and foot. 

When the eating is over and it is satiated, and cannot eat any more, the bird looks around and sees another bird sitting by its side. 

The moment it looks at that other bird sitting there, this bird attains liberation. By the mere consciousness of the existence of that bird, without having to do anything at all with it other than the mere awareness of it being there, liberation is attained.

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There is no necessity to deal with God. The only thing that is required is to be aware that such a thing called God exists. The mere awareness of the existence of such a thing called God is sufficient for the liberation of the soul, and no activity is called for here. The unconsciousness of there being such a thing called God is the reason why we are indulging in all the wondrous binding activities of the world and are busy eating the delicacies which this world is yielding for us.

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This tree, which is otherwise very deeply rooted, is of course perishable in its nature. One of the meanings of the word asvattha is that it will not last even till tomorrow. It is a very perishable, transient thing. 

Though it is suvirudhamulam—it looks unshakable in its root—yet it has aspects which are perishable and, therefore, it can be shaken completely from its very root by only one weapon : asangasastrena, the weapon of detachment. 

We should have no emotional concern with anything that we see with our eyes; we should be detached. The bird that is not interested in the glory of the tree's manifestation also sees this wondrous tree—this world, this creation. We also can see this wonderful world; there is no objection to mere seeing. We can see the mystery, the majesty and the enigmatic character of the working of the whole universe. There is no harm in seeing it like the movement of film in a cinema, but we should not say “It is mine; I want it” with ahamta, or self-consciousness, causing thereby a desire to possess certain attractive things like the fruit of the tree.

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With a powerful cut at the tree with the axe of detachment, felling it down in this manner and throwing it on the ground, root and branch, what then happens? 

We have to aspire for that great Abode, reaching which people do not come back. 

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Srimad Bhagavad Geeta ; Chapter-15. Slokam-4.

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"Tatah padam tat parimargitavyam

yasmin gata na nivartanti bhuyah

tam eva chadyam purusham prapadye

yatah pravrittih prasrita purani."

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Tatah padam tat parimargitavyam

yasmin gata na nivartanti bhuyah(15.4) : 

After having achieved this almost impossible feat of non-attachment to things in this world, one should cast one's gaze above this world and seek that transcendent Eternal Bliss, having attained and enjoyed which, no one will come back.

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To be continued ....

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