Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 15, Verse 2

अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः । अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके

adhaścordhvaṃ prasṛtāstasya śākhā guṇapravṛddhā viṣayapravālāḥ | adhaśca mūlānyanusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣyaloke

Translation

Below and above are its branches spread, nourished by the guṇas, sense-objects its buds; and below in the world of man stretch forth the roots ending in action.

— Alladi Mahadeva Sastri

Word meanings

adhaḥ

below

ca

and

ūrdhve

above

prasṛtāḥ

spread

tasya

of that

śākhāḥ

the branches

guṇapravṛddhāḥ

by the qualities, nourished

viṣayapravālāḥ

(of) objects of the senses, sprouts, whose, they

adhaḥ

below

ca

and

mūlāni

the roots

anusantatāni

ramified

karmānubandhīni

action, the bond, whose, they

manuṣyaloke

of men, in the world

Śaṅkarācārya's commentary

From man down to unmoving objects below, and from him up to the abode of Brahmā the Creator, whatever regions are attained as the suitable reward of knowledge and action — each varying according to the character of knowledge or of action — they are the spreading branches as it were of that Tree; they are nourished and fattened by the guṇas of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, which form their material basis (upādāna). The sense-objects such as sound are the buds sprouting from the branches of the physical and other bodies which are the result of actions. The Highest Root of the Tree of Saṃsāra has been mentioned already; now are mentioned the secondary roots — viz., the latent impressions (vāsanās) of the feelings of attachment and aversion, which were caused by the fruits of actions. These roots are spread in this world of man below — below the regions of Devas and the like — and give rise to acts of dharma and adharma. Those roots are spread especially in the world of man; it is while here that men concern themselves with action.