Shloka 223

Brahma-vidyā: Satya–Tapas and the Enumeration of Tattvas

Arjuna–Vāsudeva framed dialogue

Devanagari script

छित्त्वा चामरतां प्राप्प जहाति मृत्युजन्मनी । यह देह एक वृक्षके समान है। अज्ञान इसका मूल अंकुर (जड़) है

Transliteration

chittvā cāmaratāṁ prāpya jahāti mṛtyu-janmanī | yaḥ dehaḥ eka-vṛkṣaka-samānaḥ | ajñānaṁ tasya mūla-aṅkuraḥ (jaḍaḥ), buddhiḥ skandhaḥ (tanūḥ), ahaṅkāraḥ śākhā, indriyāṇi suṣirāṇi, pañca mahābhūtāni tasya viśeṣa-avayavāḥ, teṣāṁ bhūtānāṁ viśeṣa-bhedāḥ tasya ṭhaṇḍikāḥ | atra sadā saṅkalpa-rūpāṇi pattāni jāyante, karma-rūpāṇi puṣpāṇi vikasanti | śubhāśubha-karmabhiḥ prāptāni sukha-duḥkhādīni tasya sadā lagna-phālāni | evaṁ brahma-rūpa-bījāt prādurbhūtaḥ pravāha-rūpeṇa sadā vidyamānaḥ deha-rūpa-vṛkṣaḥ sarva-prāṇināṁ jīvana-ādhāraḥ | yaḥ etasya tattvaṁ samyag jñātvā jñāna-rūpayā uttama-khaḍgena enaṁ chittvā amaratvaṁ prāpya janma-mṛtyu-bandhanāt mucyate ||

Translation

Wika ni Vāyu: “Kapag ito’y naputol, nakakamtan ang kawalang-kamatayan at iniiwan ang pag-ikot ng kamatayan at kapanganakan. Ang katawang ito’y tulad ng iisang punò: ang kamangmangan ang usbong-ugat nito, ang buddhi (talino) ang punò, ang ahamkāra (pagkamakasarili) ang sanga; ang mga pandama ang mga guwang nito; ang limang dakilang elemento ang mga natatanging bahagi nito, at ang mas masinsing pagkakaiba-iba ng mga elementong iyon ang mga sanga-sangang maliliit. Dito, ang mga dahon na anyo ng mga pasiya (saṅkalpa) ay patuloy na tumutubo, at ang mga bulaklak na anyo ng mga gawa (karma) ay patuloy na namumukadkad. Ang mga bungang laging nakakapit dito ay ang ligaya at pighati na nakukuha mula sa mabuti at masamang gawa. Kaya, mula sa binhing Brahman at nananatili bilang di-napapatid na agos, ang ‘punò’ ng katawan ang salalayan ng buhay ng lahat ng nilalang. Sinumang tunay na makaunawa sa likas nito at putulin ito sa pamamagitan ng dakilang tabak ng kaalaman, ay nakakamtan ang kawalang-kamatayan at napapalaya sa gapos ng kapanganakan at kamatayan.”

Word by Word

• छित्त्वा: having cut (after cutting)
• छित्त्वा: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अमरता: immortality
• अमरता: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: अमरता
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्राप्य: having attained
• प्राप्य: Karana
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र-आप्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), कर्तरि

• जहाति: abandons / gives up
• Type: Verb
• Root: हा
• Form: लट् (present), प्रथम, एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• मृत्यु: death
• Type: Noun
• Root: मृत्यु
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• जन्मनी: birth (the two: birth and death)
• जन्मनी: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन्मन्
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyu (Vāyudeva)
• deha (the body, as a metaphorical tree)
• Brahman
• pañca mahābhūta (five great elements)
• indriyas (sense faculties)
• buddhi
• ahaṅkāra
• ajñāna
• jñāna (knowledge)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Embodied existence is sustained by ignorance, intention, and action, yielding pleasure and pain through karma. Liberation comes by discerning this structure and ‘cutting’ attachment to it with knowledge, thereby transcending birth and death.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva delivers a philosophical instruction using an extended metaphor: the body is a tree whose components are ignorance, intellect, ego, senses, and elements; its leaves, flowers, and fruits are intentions, actions, and their karmic results. He concludes that knowledge severs this tree and grants freedom from saṁsāra.