Coming back.... again!

Hare Krishna everyone. Sooo sorry for the long absence. I am trying to make Krishna Consciousness a central part of my life, hence a more determined effort to work on this blog. I am posting the first part of an interesting article written by the author of The Teachings of Bhagavad Gita,  Dr.Laxmi Narayan Chaturvedi, on Chapter 15 of the Bhagavad Gita:

Chapter 15

                        Shri,bhagavan uvaach,

                         Urdhva mula adhah-shaakhaam,ashvastham praahur avyayam

                         Cchandaamsi    yasy   parnaani,    yas   tam  veda   sa   veda-vit.

                                                                                                               Bh.GH.15-1

                         Adhashchordhvam prasrtaas tasya shaakhaa

                                                  Gunapravradhaa vishya pravaalaah

                          Adhashcha mulaani anusantataani,

                                                   Karmanubandhaani manushya-loke Bh.G 15-,2

    

Throughout the Bhagavat Gita, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord  Krishna, has emphasized the importance of bhakti yoga, by practice of which, one can easily detach from material entanglement and win the favor of the Lord. Knowledge of this material world is very essential to get out of its clutches. In the 15^th Chapter of Bhagavat Gita, Krishna explains the nature of material entanglement and the material world, which He compares to a banyan tree oriented upside down.  All of us have the experience of such a tree situated on the riverbank. The reflection of a real tree in the water shows the roots pointed upwards and the branches growing downwards.  The Material world or the material tree in reality is a reflection of the original spiritual world, the Vaikuntha lokas, which have the same variegated life as we have here. The difference is that the spiritual world is made up of the spiritual or the yogamaya potency of the Lord and the material world is made up of the external or the Maayaa potency of the Lord. “go gochara jaha lagi mana jaai,  so saba maayaa jaananhu bhai” (Ramayan) meaning that “whatever one can think or perceive through all of his five senses and the mind is entirely made up of maayaa.” The cause or the medium of reflection is the “desire” of the living entity (this will be explained later). Here the roots  pointing  upwards means that its origin is the Supreme Lord or Brahma, the creator of this universe situated on the topmost planet. The branches spread out in all directions and grow downwards in the form of 14 planetary systems like bhuloke, bhuvaha-loke, svaloke, mahaloke, janaloke, tapaloke and satyaloke (brahmaloke). Together these constitute the upper planetary system. Then Earth is in the middle while atala-loke, vitalala-loke,sutala-loke, talaatala- loke, rasaatal-loke, mahaatala-loke and patala loke  constitute the lower planetary system. In these are situated the various living entities.