Section 6.11 (eleventh khaṇḍa) (three texts)

Upaniṣad text:

“Of this large tree, my child, if one were to strike at the root, it would exude juice, while still living; if one were to strike it in the middle, it would exude juice, while still living; and if one were to strike it at the top, it would exude juice, while still living. This tree, pervaded by the ‘Living Self’, stands firm, drinking and rejoicing.—(1)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

‘Listen to the illustration, my child,—of this large tree with many large branches,—‘this’ being indicated towards a tree standing before them,—if some one were to strike at the root—with an axe or some such weapon, striking at it once only—the tree would not dry up, it would continue to live,—and merely its juice would flow (out of the cut). Similarly, if one were to strike it at the middle, it would exude juice and be still living; and if one were to strike it at the top, it would exude juice while still living. This tree is, at this moment, pervaded,—endowed—by the ‘Living self’, and it stands firm, drinking—absorbing through its roots large quantities of water and other juices out of the Earth and rejoicing,—being happy.’—(1)

Upaniṣad text:

‘If the Living self leaves one of its branches, that branch withers, if it leaves the second branch, that withers, if it leaves the third,that withers; if it leaves the whole, the whole withers.—(2)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

‘Of this tree, if the ‘Living Self’ leaves one branch, which is either diseased or has been struck at,—i.e. withdraws from it that position of Itself which ensouled that branch,—then that branch withers; the Living Self enters a living thing in the course of the aggregate of Speech, Mind, Life-breath, and Organs; hence, on the withdrawal of the Self, all this aggregate becomes withdrawn. What happens is that when the ‘Living Self’ endowed with Life-breath eats or drinks, what is eaten and drunk becomes turned into juices which nourish the tree of which the body is alive: and the same juices serve as indicative of the presence of the Living Self. It is through what is eaten and drunk that the ‘Living Self’ stays in the body, and the character of what is eaten and drunk is always in keeping with the Kārmic Residua of the ‘Living Self So that, when the time has arrived for the function of that Kārmic Residua of his which is the cause of his being maimed by a limb, then the Living Self leaves one branch,—i.e. it withdraws itself from that one branch; and then that branch withers. It is by reason of the presence of the ‘Living Self’, that the juices, thrown up by the Kārmic Residua, cease to exist there, on the withdrawal of the ‘Living Self and when the juices have ceased to come up, the Branch withers.—Similarly, when the ‘Living Self’ leaves the whole tree, then the whole tree withers.—That the tree is ensouled by the ‘Living Self’ has been indicated by the phenomena of the flowing of juices and withering of—as shown by the illustration also vouched for the Vedic text; which means that immovable (apparently inanimate) objects (like the tree) are endowed with sentience; and this also shows that there is no truth in the Bauddha and Vaiśeṣika view that ‘immovable objects are insentient.’—(2)

Upaniṣad text:

‘Understand this to be similar, my dear,’—he said—‘Bereft of the Living Self, this perishes; the Living Self never perishes. That which is the subtlest Essence,—in That has all this its Self; That is the True; That thou art, O, Śvetaketu.’—‘Explain this to me again, Revered Sir,’—‘So be it, my boy.’—he said.—(3)

Commentary (Śaṅkara Bhāṣya):

As has been shown in the above example of the tree that, so long as the tree is imbued with the ‘Living Self,’ it does not dry up and continues to be nourished by the drinking in of juices and thus said to be I alive and when it becomes bereft of that Self, it is said to ‘die ‘Understand this to be similar,’—he said.—‘When this body is bereft of the ‘Living Self’,—separated from the Self,—it perishes; the Living Self never perishes; because it is found that in a case where the man has gone to sleep leaving the work in hand unfinished, on waking from sleep, he remembers his unfinished work and finishes it. Further, in the case of creatures just born, they are found to evince desire for milk from the mother’s breasts, fears and such other feelings; and from this it is inferred that they remember the experience, in their previous births, of drinking milk from the mother’s breasts, and also unpleasant experiences.—Also, because the Agnihotra and other Vedic Rites serve useful purposes, therefore the Living Self cannot die.

That which is the Subtlest Essence etc., etc., as before.

“How this extremely gross Universe consisting of the Earth and other things, with its diverse names and forms, is produced out of Being which is extremely subtle, is of the essence of pure Being, devoid of all name and form—please explain this to me again, Revered Sir.”

The father said—‘Be it so, my boy’—(3)

End of Section (11) of Discourse VI.