Date : 13 Jun 2025

After a few months, the students of the Bhagavad Geeta had the opportunity to immerse themselves in Bhagavan’s teachings at CCWU for five days, filled with knowledge and devotion. Swami Avyayananda skillfully expounded the “Essence of the Geeta,” focusing on Chapter 15 of the Celestial Song. Following a brief recap of the earlier chapters, Swamiji delved into the topic at hand. He pointed out that although this chapter contains only 20 verses, it holds significant

importance. The Geeta is regarded as the essence of the Upanishads, and this chapter, entitled Purushottama Yoga, is considered the very essence of the Geeta because it encapsulates all the main points of the text in a nutshell. Shri Krishna Himself has praised it as a sastra—that which teaches us what is good for us and covers a subject in its entirety. To capture Arjuna’s attention, Bhagavan Shri Krishna begins the conversation with a striking metaphor that explains the nature of samsara –a unique tree with its roots above. At the same time, its trunk, branches, leaves, and flowers grow downwards towards the earth.

Like Arjuna, we too were astounded and intrigued by this statement. Swamiji adeptly illustrated the details of this illusory and fascinating tree of samsara while emphasising that our focus should be on the roots—the source of this world, God, the Truth, and the Supreme Reality. In the very first verse, Bhagavan declares that the one who understands this samsara and its roots, the source and cause, is the wisest: “yastam veda sa vedavit.”

Over the next four days, Swamiji revealed how Bhagavan has disclosed the secret to cutting down this peculiar and illusory tree of samsara and recognising its sacred roots – God. He clearly explained our relationship with God and our journey (as the jiva) through various lives. We discovered how to recognise Bhagavan’s manifestation in the world around us and within ourselves. The culmination of this journey lies in knowing Purushottama, the Supreme Being,as my own Self.