Vedas 49 - Kathopanishad - Part 6 A - The Tree Of Life Poem by Geeta Radhakrishna Menon
Vedas 49 - Kathopanishad - Part 6 A - The Tree Of Life
"O Nachiketaa! My dear boy!
Have you heard of
The ‘Samsaara Vrksha'?
Or the ‘The tree of life'?
It is an age-old tree called ‘Asvatha'!
This holy Fig tree is the tree of life!
Venerated and worshipped by people
For centuries, for its profound wisdom.
A wonderful tree with its roots above,
And its branches bowing down below."
"The holy tree Asvatha is
The origin,
The representation,
The manifestation of
The Supreme Brahman!
Brahman is tranquil, sublime and pure,
Unchanging, unaffected and untainted.
The entire creation has evolved from Brahman,
The entire creation will dissolve in Brahman.
Brahman alone is immortal, eternal and infinite."
The dialogue between Nachiketaa and Yama, though long, is very interesting and absorbing. The dialogue spreads over six chapters or sections containing 119 verses. Chapter 1 - 29 verses, Chapter 2 - 25 verses, Chapter 3 - 17 Verses, Chapter 4 - 15 verses, Chapter 5- 15 verses and Chapter 6 - 18 verses.
This is the sixth or the last part of Kathopanishad.
Each Upanishad should be read from the beginning and in order of the Series, specially Kathopanishad, which is illustrated through a story.Otherwise, neither the story or the essence of the Upanishad will be understood. It would be difficult to grasp the philosophy of the Upanishad.
In my Tree Poem Series, I have written a poem on Asvatha Tree. Do read it, if time permits.
In Vedas- 49- Kathopanishad - part 6A you have presented incisively about A holy tree Asvastha and Brahman. It may be cited here..... The holy tree Asvatha is The origin, The representation, The manifestation of The Supreme Brahman! Brahman is tranquil, sublime and pure, Unchanging, unaffected and untainted. Thank you dear madam for sharing this valuable poem.
I have just read your earlier poem of this series 'Vedas 46' which somehow escaped my attention.
Thank you so much Rajnish ji. You have not missed any poems of the Kathopanishad Series.
Asvatha- the tree of life- and Brahman have much in common which the poem has nicely put across. Many attributes of Asvatha may also be there in Brahman. Towards the end, the essence of the Vedic philosophy has also been presented in all its beauty. Thanks, Geeta ji. The entire creation has evolved from Brahman, The entire creation will dissolve in Brahman. Brahman alone is immortal, eternal and infinite.
My heartfelt thanks and Namaskar to you, dear Rajnish ji. I am most grateful.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/26/2024 2:47:48 AM # 1.0.0.1119
i was drawn to this poem, geeta, by the title's reference to the tree of life. it interests me how this idea appears in the upanishads (which i didn't know until this your reference to it) as well as in the bible, and there's the tree yggdrasil in norse mythology. i guess it's no surprise that a tree should be symbolic of life considering how long it could live, the life it supports, the all the life it births through its seeds. -glen