Å›rÄ«-bhagavÄn uvÄcha Å«rdhva-mÅ«lam adhaḥ-Å›Äkham aÅ›vatthaá¹ prÄhur avyayam chhandÄá¹si yasya parṇÄni yas taá¹ veda sa veda-vit [1]
Å›rÄ«-bhagavÄn uvÄcha–The Supreme Lord said: prÄhuḥ–It is said in the scriptures (when describing this material world): Å«rdhvamÅ«lam–“The roots are uppermost as it is rooted in aversion to the highest principle, the Supreme Lord; adhaḥ-Å›Äkham–the branches face downwards, representing all beings from Lord BrahmÄ down to the lowest species; avyayam–and it is endless (for those who desire the independence to enjoy the fruits of their actions); aÅ›vattham–yet transient; (for a person with devotion to the Lord) it will be ‘gone tomorrow’. chhandÄá¹si–The ritualistic verses of the Vedas; parṇÄni–are represented by the protective leaves; yasya–of the AÅ›vattha or Peepul tree of this material world.†yaḥ–One who; veda–knows; tam–that tree; saḥ–he; veda-vit–is a knower of the Vedas. [1]
The Supreme Lord said: It is said in the scriptures that this material world is like a Peepul tree, roots up, branches down, endless, yet transient. Its leaves represent the nourishing verses of the Vedas. One who knows this tree is a knower of the Vedas.
The roots of the tree of this world are said to face upwards—its root cause is the highest plane. It is manifest by the potency of the Supreme Lord. However, it is rooted in aversion to the Lord. Its branches are said to face downwards since according to the law of karma all species of life from the highest to the lowest branch out from it. It is known as an AÅ›vattha tree. The word aÅ›vattha means ‘ephemeral,’ or ‘that which does not remain in the same state for even a day.’ Yet, it is endless* in the sense that it constantly appears in the natural flow of cause and effect. The leaves of the tree represent the fruitive verses of the Vedas (karma-kÄṇá¸a). As the leaves of a tree nourish and beautify it, these verses similarly encourage and illuminate the world.
The external potency of the Lord, mÄyÄ, is eternal, and it manifests this world. Yet the world itself is perishable inasmuch as it again becomes unmanifest. Although the fruitive verses of the Vedas provide its nourishment, their underlying purpose is rather to enlighten the conditioned souls to take shelter of the Supreme Lord who is transcendental to the mundane. Thus, one who knows these fundamental principles is a knower of the true essence of the Vedas.
*The Peepul tree is known for its longevity.
