Eureka Moment for Embodied Soul
Eureka Moment for Embodied Human Soul is
the ultimate goal as ordained by Sri Krishna. Eureka Moment is moment of great
liberation for human soul to merge with Purushothama who is seated at the top
of the roots of Asvattha tree – a strange, holy and world tree having its
branches down below to the earth and roots to the sky.
Purushothama seated at the
top of roots of Asvattha tree is the witness to the activities of all beings
struggling from perennial cycle of births and deaths with a few exceptions of human
souls reaching the lotus feet of Almighty Sri Krishna.
Asvattha is Pipal tree that is
called ‘Arasa Maram’ in Tamil which means King Tree. Word asvattha means –
highly temporary – not even lasting for tomorrow. Hence it is believed that asvattha
tree will be destroyed ultimately at the end of a yuga.
Asvattha tree is strong, long
living, holy, auspicious tree. Kings used to tie their horses to that tree and
it is believed that it would fetch them victory in the battle. Upper piece of
wood of asvattha is used to create fire for yajna by constant churning. Sri
Krishna declares that among all the trees I am the Asvattha. It represents the
holy symbol of OM, which in turn is the true symbol of the Purushothama.
Asvattha tree is mentioned in
Katha Upanishad: “This is the eternal Asvattha tree with its root above and
branches below. That root indeed, is
called Bright. That is Brahman, and that alone is the immortal. In that, all worlds are contained and none
can pass beyond. Most people are used to seeing trees that grow from the ground
up, but yogis talk about a tree that grows upside down.”
Three Gunas represent
branches of asvattha tree, its buds sense objects, its leaves vedas and its
roots actions. Detachment is Axe which is a forceful weapon to cut branches of asvattha
tree nourished by Gunas.
Allegorical contents of asvattha
tree need to be deciphered to understand how the embodied human soul or jivatma
struggles to reach heavenly abode of Purushothama to avoid rebirth.
Asvattha tree is like a
battle field where jivatma is struggling to reach Paramatma at the top of the
tree. Sense objects of Individual human soul
become soldiers who could not be won because individual soul loses its fighting
spirit due to deluded mind, intellect and ego. Many individual souls are not in
a position to acquire axes of detachment to cut the branches of gunas along
with buds. Such souls become equally deaf to the chanting of Vedic lyrics by asvattha’
s leaves. Jivatma, due to these
failings, is not able to overcome the agony of births and deaths.
Adi Sankara in his Bhajagovndindam
song of “Punarabi jananam punarabi maranam” explains this aspect of soul’s life
clearly and effectively.
Adi Sankara’s song means: “Born
again, death again, birth again to stay in the mother's womb! It is indeed hard
to cross this boundless ocean of samsara. Oh Murari! Redeem me through Thy
mercy.”
In this allegorical story of
Asvattha, Detachment is portrayed as Axe to cut Branch – Gunas and Buds – Sense
Objects. Therefore, Axe becomes the main instrument to attain Moksha.
One can reasonably brood over
on the making of axe of detachment and such an imaginary interpretation may
throw lights to understand the intricacy and implication of spiritual Asvattha
tree.
Ironsmith makes axe with
heating iron and then hitting it using hammer on anvil that is an important tool
in axe manufacture. Guna and sense objects are iron which is heated in a
furnace with fuel. Fuel is mind and hammer is intellect. The ego serves as
anvil.
Many human souls fail in its
attempts to gain access to axes of detachment due to its innate qualities. Actually,
axes are not manufactured outside and supplied to human souls. Human soul
itself should produce its own axe and then cut the branches of Asvattha happily
listening to lyrics of Vedas to reach the roots of Asvattha – Birthless
State.
Tree’s Roots are already
detached from Earth – foremost element of nature and Sri Krishna sitting on the
top of the roots to oversee those human souls to win over other forces of
nature – air, fire, water, space to reach his abode. It is the desire and will
of Sri Krishna that all embodied human soul or jivatma should use axe to cut
branches thereby destroying the World Tree completely at the end of a yuga.
Sri Krishna Avatar ended at
the shades of Asvattha tree. On his successful accomplishment of Krishna
Avatar, Sri Krishna merged with Purushothama sitting pretty at the top of Asvattha
tree. It is the transformation of form to formless almighty.
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