Katha:2.3.1

Mantra 2.3.1

Original Text:

ऊर्ध्वमूलोऽवाक्शाख एषोऽश्वत्थः सनातनः ।
	तदेव शुक्रं तद्ब्रह्म तदेवामृतमुच्यते ।
	तस्मिंल्लोकाः श्रिताः सर्वे तदु नात्येति कश्चन । एतद्वैतत् ॥ १ ॥

ūrdhvamūlo’vākśākha eṣo’śvatthaḥ sanātanaḥ |
	tadeva śukraṃ tadbrahma tadevāmṛtamucyate |
	tasmiṃllokāḥ śritāḥ sarve tadu nātyeti kaścana | etadvaitat || 1 ||

Word-by-Word Breakdown

Sanskrit Term	Transliteration	Hindi Meaning	English Word or Meaning	Comments
ऊर्ध्वमूलः	ūrdhvamūlaḥ	जिसकी जड़ ऊपर है	having its root above		अवाक्-शाखः	avāk-śākhaḥ	जिसकी शाखाएँ नीचे की ओर हैं	having branches downward		एषः	eṣaḥ	यह	this		अश्वत्थः	aśvatthaḥ	अश्वत्थ वृक्ष (पीपल का पेड़)	aśvattha tree (sacred fig tree)		सनातनः	sanātanaḥ	शाश्वत, अनादि	eternal, ancient		तत् एव	tat eva	वही	that alone		शुक्रम्	śukram	शुद्ध, निर्मल	pure, resplendent		तत् ब्रह्म	tat brahma	वही ब्रह्म	that is brahman		तत् एव	tat eva	वही	that alone		अमृतम्	amṛtam	अमरत्व, अमर	immortal, immortality		उच्यते	ucyate	कहा जाता है	is said, is called		तस्मिन्	tasmin	उसमें	in that		लोकाः	lokāḥ	लोक, सभी जगत	worlds, all realms		श्रिताः	śritāḥ	आश्रित हैं, निर्भर हैं	depend, rest upon		सर्वे	sarve	सभी	all		तत्	tat	वह	that		न	na	नहीं	not		अति-एति	aty-eti	पार करता है, पार जाता है	passes beyond, transcends		कश्चन	kaścana	कोई भी	anyone, any being		एतत्	etat	यह	this		वै	vai	निश्चयपूर्वक, वास्तव में	verily, indeed		तत्	tat	वह	that

Translation/Explanation

Hindi: ऊपर जड़ और नीचे शाखाओं वाला यह सनातन अश्वत्थ वृक्ष है; वही शुद्ध है, वही ब्रह्म है, वही अमर कहा जाता है। उसी पर सभी लोक आश्रित हैं, कोई भी उससे परे नहीं जा सकता। यही निश्चयपूर्वक वही है।

English: Root above and branches downward is this eternal aśvattha tree; that alone is śukra (pure), that is brahman, that alone is called amṛta (immortal). On that, all lokas (worlds) depend; none passes beyond that. This verily is that.

Commentary

As in the world, the ascertainment of the root of a tree is made by ascertaining the nature of the tula (panicle of the flower), this sixth valli (part) is begun with the object of ascertaining the nature of the brahman, the source (of the saṃsāra tree), by ascertaining the nature of the effect, the tree of saṃsāra. Root above, having its root above, i.e., ‘that highest place of viṣṇu’ is its root, this tree of saṃsāra, extending from the avyakta to the immoveable, has its root above, i.e., in brahman. It is vṛkṣa (tree), so called, because it is felled; this tree consisting in manifold miseries of birth, decay, death and grief, etc., changing its nature every moment, like jugglery, waters of the mirage, a city formed by the clouds in the sky, etc.; because like these, perceived only to vanish ultimately, non-existent like a tree, sapless like the stem of the plantain tree, the subject of several doubtful alternatives in the intellects of many hundreds of sceptics, not ascertained to be what it really is by seekers after truth, receiving its sap from its source, i.e., the highest brahman ascertained by vedānta, growing from the seed of ignorance, desire, karma and avyaktam, having for its sprout hiraṇyagarbha—the combination of the power of knowledge and activity of the lower brahman, having for its skandha (trunk), the various subtle bodies of all living things, possessed of the pride of stature from the sprinkling of the waters of desire, having for its tender buds the objects of intelligence and the senses, having for its leaves the śrutis, the smṛtis, logic, learning and instruction, filled with the lovely flowers of sacrifice, gift, penance and many other deeds, having various tastes such as the experience of joy and sorrow, having endless fruits on which living beings subsist, with its roots well grown, i.e., (tendencies of the mind) entwined and fastened firm by the sprinkling of the waters of desire for the fruits, with the nests built by birds, i.e., all living beings from brahmā downwards in the seven worlds beginning with that called satya, reverberating with the tumultuous noise arising from dancing, singing, instrumental music, joking, clapping on the shoulders, laughing, pulling, crying, exclaiming ‘leave me,’ ‘leave me,’ etc., induced by mirth and grief, produced by the happiness and misery of living beings and felled by the unresisted sword of the realisation of the paramātman proved by the vedānta, this tree of saṃsāra, always shaking by its nature to the wind of desire and karma, like the aśvattha tree, having its branches, i.e., heaven, hell, the world of beasts and pretas, etc., downwards, existing from time immemorial, because having no beginning. That which is the root of this tree of saṃsāra is indeed pure, bright, i.e., resplendent, the intelligence of ātman; that indeed is brahman, being greater than all; that indeed is described as immortal in nature, being true; any other than that is a mere matter of speech, modification, name and falsehood and therefore subject to death. On that, i.e., on the brahman absolutely true, do all the worlds, false like the city of clouds in the sky, waters of the mirage and jugglery (māyā) and perceived as non-existent by the knowledge of the absolute truth, depend during their birth, stay and absorption. None, i.e., no modification passes beyond that, i.e., brahman, as the thing made, such as pot, etc., does not pass beyond the mud, etc. This verily is that.

Concept List

aśvattha
brahman
amṛta
śukra
lokas
saṃsāra
avyakta
hiraṇyagarbha
ātman
vedānta
māyā
paramātman