Ashwattha / अश्वत्थ

AshwatthaAshwatthaAshwattha

अश्वत्थ अश्वत्थ अश्वत्थ

"... ... ...                        ।

अश्वत्थमेनम् सुविरूढमूलम् ... ... ...  ॥"

" ... ... ...                                                  \

Ashwatthamenam suviruDhamUlaM,...\\"

--

These days, I am just relaxing.

In true sense. Because I have nothing

 to do. No more reading, writing, or

networking.

And the routine things happen as they

had been so far. In the morning, I get

up at 5:00, go for a walk and have to

walk for two minutes  to reach  the

nearest park, maintained well by the

people living around it. Alongwith

it's beauty and grandeur, its sanctity

is also preserved, despite occasional

incidences, when people smoke there or

put on the fencing wires their washed

clothes to dry-up in the Sun. But looks

like the park is quite oblivious and even

indifferent  to such things.

There are so many big and small trees,

so many climates and weathers that visit

the park as if paying their homage and

love to this silent place full of  some divine

benediction. There are also the creepers,

the usual orchids and the garden-plants.

The pathways can’t accommodate more

than 2 persons together at the same moment,

and one has to walk carefully lest the hedging

gets under the feet.

If wanted to cling to the road, one has to

circumambulate the park. And then one

arrives at a point where the road takes

you away from the park. This reminds

me of the traditional Shiva-Temples,

where you can not and are not supposed

to walk the full circle around Shiva.

The Ashwattha-Tree stood there in such

elegance  that kings would long to wield.

Of course, It was not a mighty-one like a

Vat-VRukSha,It was Peepal, not the

Indian fig Tree.The One beneath which

Buddha is said to have gained Enlight-

enment. Nevertheless, it was not less

sacred, and gave sufficient oxygen as

 they say.But far from that, it always

attracted birds of different feathers,

and  they ate the tiny tablet-like deep

brownish-black fruits, which were

equally as much a delight for all kinds

of ants also. The idea of doing nothing

came  to me one day, when I was just lost

in the charm of this tree.

"Vegetating,..."

He sort of whispered in my ears.

"Oh ! Don't you want to become something ?"

"No, Being is rather far more important

 than becoming"

"So don’t you have desires ?"

"I don't know what you mean by desire.

To me, it is a pointer only,

 that tells you what you would be some-day,

because you are already that."

"Like?"

"Like a child that would be a man or

 a woman, which it is even now.".

"So is it not progress or evolution?"

“No, it is rather a kind of,... um, what you

may call  transformation or mutation."

"And so all progress that man seeks to

make-out is meaningless ?"

" No, it helps the transformation, if

undertaken with the right approach."

"And what is the right approach?"

" When the knowledge and understanding

of  the core-truth of being is not lost sight of,

and the mind does not strive nor longs for

imaginary ideals, goals and aims, but

remains vigilant about its own tendencies

and workings, without fear or hope of a

'future', and,..."

"Yes,...Please,...!!"

Something abruptly ended our conversation,

and I had to return to my world of becoming,

 success and progress.

--

The next morning, as usual, when I passed

through that tree, It was just silent. The sun

had not yet come-up and the birds had started

to call Him through their impatient chirps.

The dawn was expected any moment and the

misty glow of  graphite-black morning light

was slowly giving way to the crimson in the east.

The hibiscus had not yet opened its eyes, and

 the vermilion in the east was tempting him to

open-up. The jasmine-scent had left the flowers,

and one could not believe them to be the same

 that were oozing-out rich heady aroma the last

 night. I took a turn and went away on my

daily walk.

When I returned the scene was altogether changed.

The park was shed in the morning-light, and  few

old men were there chatting, sitting on a bench.

I knew them by face and they too perhaps knew me,

but we never had a conversation and I just by my

habit, avoided the eye-contact. They were simple

household men of my own and the adjoining colonies

and I often see them around there, going and coming.

As I entered the park, which I very rarely do, they

had already vacated the bench and left . I  thought

of passing few moments sitting there.

The Nyagrodha (The holy ‘Bodhi’ / Vata tree) was

on my mind and the Ashwattha on the right. I was

trying to understand the difference. And for my help.

there was yet another holy tree 'Udumbar" or GUlar,

the Indian wild fig, which has also brown-reddish

fruites, and is equally liked by birds and even by some

men, despite its having those tiny creatures in it.

These three belong to the same Botanical family. I

never tried to know their botanical names, but 

guess they resemble fig a lot.

In Gita,chapter 15, The world is said to be an

Ashwattha, :

UrdhwamUlamadhaHshAkhamashwatthaM

prAhurawyayaM

ChhandAnsi yasya parNAni yastaM veda

sa vedavit . 1.

adhashchordhwaM prasRtAstasya shAkhA

guNapravRddhA viShayapravAlA:

adhashcha mUlAnyanusantatAni karmAnu

bandhUni manuShyaloke . 2.

na rUpamasyeha tathopalabhyate nAnto na

chAdirna cha sampratiShThA

ashwatthamenaM suvirUDhamUlamasanga-

shastreNa dRDhena chhittwA . 3.

ऊर्ध्वमूलमधःशाखमश्वत्थम् प्राहुरव्ययम् ।

छन्दान्सि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तंवेद स वेदवित् ॥१॥

अधश्चोर्ध्वम् प्रसृतास्तस्यशाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः ।

अधश्चमूलान्यनुसंततानि कर्मानुबन्धानि मनुष्यलोके ॥२॥

नरूपमस्येह तथोपलभ्यते नान्तो न आदिश्च संप्रतिष्ठा ।

अश्वत्थमेनम् सुविरूढमूलमसङ्‍गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा ॥३॥

A simple translation would be;

This eternal (time-less) tree is said to be

imperishable with its roots above and branches

below, whose leaves are the hymns of Vedas.

One who knows the truth of this is a true

knower. ……………………….1.

Nurtured by the three attributes (guNas of

PrakRti), the branches of this tree spread both

below and above. Sense-objects are its foliage;

the roots, which spread upward and downward,

bind the beings with actions in this world of matter.

………………………………….2.

It is not possible for any one to know correctly

the nature of this tree in life, neither its beginning

nor the end, and nor the secret of its true existence.

Therefore one should cut this firmly rooted, ever-

changing, seemingly imperishable tree with the axe

of strong dispassion…………3.

Yes, Verily Gita points out to ‘consciousness’ which

is the tree. I say to myself. One has to transcend  this

by way of understanding its nature, either by abiding

in it, searching out its source or by means of regulating

the vital breath which is the only evident link available

to all beings. In nutshell; As Sri RamaNa says in the

Sri RamaNa Gita ch.2, verse 2,

HRdayakuharamadhye kewalaM brahmamAtraM

Hyahamahamiti sAkShAdAtmarUpeNa bhAti |

HRdi visha manasA swam chinvatA majjatA vA

Pavana-chalana-rodhAdAtmaniShTho bhava twaM ||

हृदयकुहरमध्ये केवलं ब्रह्ममात्रं

ह्यहमहमिति साक्षादात्मरूपेण भाति ।

हृदि विश मनसा स्वं चिन्वता मज्जता वा

पवनचलनरोधादात्मनिष्ठो भव त्वं ॥

  

--

Then, if Gita talks about the secondary

shoots / roots, why does not give a simily

of the Vata VRksha ? The secondary

roots are always seen in a VaTa VRukSha,

but hardly ever in a Nyagrodha.I ponder

over and guess the roots.

VaTa > va means expansion, Ta means the

one which has, These are primary and

seccondary prefixes, 'taddhit-pratyaya'

which explain how a word is derived from

 the root which is the 'meaning'.

So, vaTa means one which extends to great

extents.

Likewise, 'nyagrodh' > ni + ak + rodha,

where ni means not, absoulute, paramount,

 supreme, ultimate,ak means the one facing,

rodh means check, stppage, resistence.

So the word nyagrodha and ashwattha

convey the same meaning.

But because the poet (kavi) has to explain

 so many things by his poetry,

and for that Ashwattha fits as a rather

appropriate simily.

I am haapy with this new insight.

And I remember The Guru Principle

(Guru-Tattwa)

I remember Sri DakShiNAmurtistotram,

VaTaviTapamUle bhUmibhage niShaNNaM

sakalamunijanAnAM jnAnadAtAramArAt

tribhuvanagurumIshaM dakShiNAmurtidevaM,

Janana-maraNa du:khachchhedadakShaM namAmi.

वटविटपमूले भूमिभागे निषण्णं

सकलमुनिजनानाम् ज्ञानदातारमारात् ।

त्रिभुवनगुरुमीशम् दक्षिणामूर्तिदेवम्

जननमरणदुःखच्छेददक्षम् नमामि ॥

 The Ashwattha signals me through his silent

gestures, waving his hands quite in the same way as

 the Guru hints at the Supreme Truth.

I can now understand if Buddha found

Enlightenment under such a Bodhi-Tree, it

signifies How the Guru-Principle works in

'Mauna'.

I again remember Sri DakShiNAmurti StotraM;

"MaunaM prakaTitavyAkhyA paramatatwaM

yuvAnaM,...

I bow before to the Ashwattha which stands there

quite unconcerned of my presence.

The silence overtakes me and I sit for a few more

time on the bench, beneath my Bodhi-Tree.

____________

चित्रम् वट तरोर्मूले वृद्धाशिष्या गुरुर्युवा ।

गुरोऽस्तु मौनं व्याख्यानं शिष्यास्तु छिन्नसंशयाः ||

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