Bhagavad Gita Chapter 5th Summary – The Yoga of the Supreme Person – The 15th Chapter of the Bhagvat Gita has only 20 verses and is also known as Purshottam Yog. This Chapter as Lord Krishna himself says in verse 20th contains the most sacred knowledge, “This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one, and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become wise, and his endeavours will know perfection”. In this chapter Jagdish(Krishna) , Jeev(Atma/soul) & Jagat (World) are very beautifully described. Any act which is auspicious or otherwise, birth or death is recited and is considered very sacred. The verses of this chapter are recited daily by students of many Gurukuls before beginning their day.
Table of Contents
A Bird’s eye View – Introduction
- Verse 1-5 Gives a description of the inverse Ashvasth Tree ( Banyan Tree) and through this description of the world is given as well the solution of getting out of the material world.
- Verse 6-11 Explains the reincarnation and bondage of the Jeeva(soul)
- Verse 12-15 Explains about Krishna as one who follows.
- Verse 16-18 Gives a summary of Vedanta and Lord Krishna as Purshottam
- Verse 19-20 States that Knowing Purshottam is knowing everything
The Inverted Banyan Tree
In the first verse, Krishna says that one who knows the “Ashvasth” tree (also a Quality), knows everything. Its roots are upwards while its branches are downwards (just like the reflection of a tree in a lake at sunset). “Mulam” or the reference is given to the roots which are Udharv or upwards while the branches are Adha or downwards. The verse mentions that the tree has many leaves that are linked to the hymns of the Vedas. So verse 1 which refers –
| Adhyatmik /The Original Tree(Upwards) | Bhotik/The Reflected Tree(Reverse) |
| Is the Spiritual World | Is the Material World |
| Tripad Vibhuti(Free from forgetfulness & Contamination) | Akpad Vibhuti(Forgetfulness & Contamination) |
| Consciousness is the essence | Base/Material is the essence |
| Focused on love for Krishna | Focused on Sense gratification |
The tree of this material world is only a reflection of the real tree of the spiritual world. This reflection of the spiritual world is situated on desire, just as the tree’s reflection is situated on water. Desire is the cause of things being situated in this reflected material light.
One who wants to get out of this material existence must know this tree thoroughly through analytical study. Then he can cut off his relationship with it. The purpose of the Vedas, as disclosed by the Personality of Godhead Himself, is to cut down this reflected tree and attain the real tree of the spiritual world. The material reflection of the real tree has to be cut off. When it is said that a person knows the Vedas, it is assumed that he knows how to cut off attachment to this material world.
In the reverse tree the roots are Krishna (He is holding the entire Universe), the trunk is Brahma while the branches and twigs are the Sarvalok, Bhuvalok and Bhulok(the three planetary system). Even Swarg lok(heaven) does not take us to Krishna as it is part of the branches where we get lost, similarly the leaves are the attractive vedic verses where again we can get lost but do not reach Krishna. So, we have to reach Krishna directly(the roots) to break the cycle of birth and death. In BG 15.15 Krishna says do not be stuck in the leaves go to the roots. We are supposed to put water or our services to the roots and not be attracted to the world. Further Krishna says, “One who knows this knows everything”
The branches of this tree extend downward and upward, nourished by the three modes of material nature. The twigs are the objects of the senses. This tree also has roots going down, and these are bound to the fruitive actions of human society.
In the Bhagvat Gita Krishna mentions in 7.6 that, “I am the originator and destroyer of all” in BG 10.8 Krishna says , “I am the source of the entire universe” while in BG 14.4 Krishna says “I am the seed father from which all comes”. So the essence is Krishna. In BG 10.26, Krishna says I am the Ashvastha tree. One who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, who is engaged in devotional service, already knows the Vedas.
The entanglement of this material world is compared here to a banyan tree. For one who is engaged in fruitive activities, there is no end to the banyan tree. for one who is attached to this tree, there is no possibility of liberation. If one can understand this indestructible tree of illusion, then one can get out of it. Devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the best way to get out of the material entanglement. Now, the basic principle of devotional service is detachment from material activities and attachment to the transcendental service of the Lord.
Prabhupada explains, “The root of this material existence grows upward. This means that it begins from the total material substance, from the topmost planet of the universe. From there, the whole universe is expanded, with so many branches, representing the various planetary systems. The fruits represent the results of the living entities’ activities, namely, religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.”
To get out of the entanglement of this strong banyan tree of material life, one must surrender to Kṛṣṇa. As soon as one surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa, he becomes detached automatically from this material extension.
One who is free from illusion, false prestige, and false association, who understands the eternal, who is done with material lust and is freed from the duality of happiness and distress, and who knows how to surrender unto the Supreme Person, attains to that eternal kingdom.
The surrendering process is described here very nicely by Prabhupada. The first qualification is that one should not be deluded by pride. For one who is always expecting some honor in this material world, it is not possible to surrender to the Supreme Person. The whole world moves under this impression. People are considering that the land, this earth, belongs to human society, and they have divided the land under the false impression that they are the proprietors. When one is freed from such a false notion, he becomes free from all the false associations caused by family etc. These fake associations bind one to this material world. After this stage, one has to develop spiritual knowledge. One has to cultivate knowledge of what is actually his own and what is actually not his own. And, when one has an understanding of things as they are, he becomes free from all dual conceptions such as happiness and distress, pleasure and pain. He becomes full in knowledge; then it is possible for him to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
That fragmental portion, when liberated from the bodily entanglement, revives its original spiritual body in the spiritual sky in a spiritual planet and enjoys association with the Supreme Lord. At the time of death, the consciousness he has created will carry him on to the next type of body. One gets a different body according to karma, and he has to quit this body in due course. It is stated here that the subtle body, which carries the conception of the next body, develops another body in the next life. This process of transmigrating from one body to another and struggling while in the body is called karṣati or struggle for existence.
The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects. The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.Only those who are actually in the yoga system and have realized the self, the world, and the Supreme Lord, in other words, the bhakti-yogīs, those engaged in pure devotional service in Krsṇa consciousness, can understand how things are taking place.These planets, which are floating in air, are actually held in the fist of the universal form of the Supreme Lord. Due to the moon’s influence, the vegetables become delicious. The Lord is situated within sound and within the body, within the air and even within the stomach as the digestive force.
Lord is seated in everyone’s heart, and from him come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. Krsna is the compiler of Vedānta, and the knower.The Supreme Lord is situated as Paramātmā in everyone’s heart, and it is from Him that all activities are initiated. The living entity forgets everything of his past life, but he has to act according to the direction of the Supreme Lord, who is witness to all his work. Therefore he begins his work according to his past deeds. Required knowledge is supplied to him, and remembrance is given to him, and he forgets, also, about his past life. Thus, the Lord is not only all-pervading; He is also localized in every individual heart. He awards the different fruitive results. He is not only worshipable as the impersonal Brahman, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the localized Paramātmā, but as the form of the incarnation of the Vedas as well.
There are two classes of beings, the fallible and the infallible. In the material world every entity is fallible, and in the spiritual world every entity is called infallible.Whoever knows Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without doubting, is to be understood as the knower of everything, and he therefore engages himself in full devotional service, O son of Bharata.
The imperfect knower goes on simply speculating about the Absolute Truth, but the perfect knower, without wasting his valuable time, engages directly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the devotional service of the Supreme Lord. In the Vaiṣṇava paramparā it is said that if one is engaged in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, then there is no need for a spiritual process to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth. He has already come to the post because he is engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. He has ended all preliminary processes of understanding; similarly, if anyone, after speculating for hundreds of thousands of lives, does not come to the point that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that one has to surrender there, all his speculation for so many years and lives is a useless waste of time.
This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures.The Lord clearly explains here that this is the substance of all revealed scriptures.By understanding this philosophy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engaging in His transcendental service, everyone can become freed from all contaminations of the modes of material nature. Wherever devotional service exists, the material contamination cannot coexist. Devotional service to the Lord and the Lord Himself are one and the same because they are spiritual-the internal energy of the Supreme Lord. The Lord is said to be the sun, and ignorance is called darkness. Where the sun is present, there is no question of darkness. Therefore, whenever devotional service is present under the proper guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, there is no question of ignorance.
The word anagha, by which Arjuna is addressed, is significant. Anagha, means that, unless one is free from all sinful reactions, it is very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa. One has to become free from all contamination, all sinful activities; then he can understand. But devotional service is so pure and potent that once one is engaged in devotional service he automatically comes to the stage of sinlessness.
While performing devotional service in the association of pure devotees in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there are certain things which require to be vanquished altogether. The most important thing one has to surmount is weakness of the heart. The first falldown is caused by the desire to lord it over material nature. Thus one gives up the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord. The second weakness of the heart is that as one increases the propensity of lording it over material nature.
Krishna says in this chapter “This is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures, O sinless one, and it is disclosed now by Me. Whoever understands this will become wise, and his endeavours will know perfection”.
