अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः | अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके || २ ||
adhaś cordhvaṁ prasṛtās tasya śākhā guṇa-pravṛddhā viṣaya-pravālāḥ adhaś ca mūlāny anusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣya-loke
adhaḥ—downward; ca—and; ūrdhvam—upward; prasṛtāḥ—extended; tasya—its; śākhāḥ—branches; guṇa-pravṛddhāḥ—nourished by the three modes of nature; viṣaya—sense objects; pravālāḥ—twigs; adhaḥ—downward; ca—also; mūlāni—roots; anusantatāni—extended; karma-anubandhīni—bound by action; manuṣya-loke—in the world of men.
“The branches of this tree spread upward and downward, nourished by the three modes of material nature, with sense objects as its twigs. The roots extend downward also, into the world of men, binding them through the bonds of karma.”
The tree of samsara has branches extending in all directions—the higher regions for the virtuous, the lower for the wicked—all nourished by the three gunas: sattva, rajas, and tamas. Sense objects are its tender shoots, ever enticing the being. Secondary roots grow downward into the human realm as desires and actions that perpetuate further rebirth and bondage.
Notice how desires for sensory pleasures act as secondary roots that anchor you deeper into habitual patterns. Each time you follow a craving without awareness, you strengthen that root. Conscious restraint—not suppression but informed choice—gradually weakens these downward roots, making liberation more accessible.