अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखा गुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाः ।अधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके ॥
adhaścordhvaṃ prasṛtās tasya śākhā guṇapravṛddhā viṣayapravālāḥ |adhaś ca mūlāny anusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣyaloke ||
- अधः · adhaḥ
- below
- ऊर्ध्वम् · ūrdhvam
- above
- प्रसृताः · prasṛtāḥ
- spread out
- तस्य · tasya
- its
- शाखाः · śākhāḥ
- branches
- गुणप्रवृद्धाः · guṇapravṛddhāḥ
- nourished by the strands (gunas)
- विषयप्रवालाः · viṣayapravālāḥ
- whose shoots are sense-objects
- मूलानि · mūlāni
- roots
- अनुसन्ततानि · anusantatāni
- spreading continuously
- कर्मानुबन्धीनि · karmānubandhīni
- binding through action's results
- मनुष्यलोके · manuṣyaloke
- in the world of humans
“Its branches spread above and below, fed by the strands, with sense-objects for young shoots — and below, in the human world, secondary roots stretch out, binding through the fruits of action.”
— Original plain-language translation
The tree feeds on the gunas of Chapter 14 and buds into sense-pleasures. Its aerial roots — our self-made attachments — fasten it ever more firmly in human life. Action itself is not the trap; clinging to its fruits sends down new roots.
— Reader's notes (original)