Shloka
बीजं संसृतिभूमिजस्य तु तमो देहात्मधीरङ्कुरो
रागः पल्लवमम्बु कर्म तु वपुः स्कन्धोऽसवः शाखिकाः ।
अग्राणीन्द्रियसंहतिश्च विषयाः पुष्पाणि दुःखं फलं
नानाकर्मसमुद्भवं बहुविधं भोक्तात्र जीवः खगः ॥ १४७ ॥
bījaṃ saṃsṛtibhūmijasya tu tamo dehātmadhīraṅkuro
rāgaḥ pallavamambu karma tu vapuḥ skandho’savaḥ śākhikāḥ ;
agrāṇīndriyasaṃhatiśca viṣayāḥ puṣpāṇi duḥkhaṃ phalaṃ
nānākarmasamudbhavaṃ bahuvidhaṃ bhoktātra jīvaḥ khagaḥ . 147 .
Anvaya
- बीजंbījaṃ
- The seed (the root cause)
- संसृति–भूमिजस्यsaṃsṛti–bhūmijasya
- of the tree of life
- तु तमःtu tamaḥ
- is tamas itself
- देहात्म–धीःdehātma–dhīḥ
- identification with the body–mind–complex
- अङ्कुरःaṅkuraḥ
- is the sprout
- रागःrāgaḥ
- attachment
- पल्लवम्pallavam
- the tender shoots
- कर्म तुkarma tu
- action itself is
- अम्बुambu
- water
- वपुःvapuḥ
- the body
- स्कन्धःskandhaḥ
- is the trunk
- असवःasavaḥ
- the five vital airs
- शाखिकाःśākhikāḥ
- of the branches
- इन्द्रिय–संहतिः चindriya–saṃhatiḥ ca
- the sense organs
- अग्राणिagrāṇi
- are the minor branches
- विषयाःviṣayāḥ
- the sense objects
- पुष्पाणिpuṣpāṇi
- the flowers
- दुःखंduḥkhaṃ
- misery
- बहु–विधंbahu–vidhaṃ
- of different types
- फलंphalaṃ
- is the fruit
- नाना–कर्म–समुद्भवंnānā–karma–samudbhavaṃ
- born as a result of a multitude of karma–s
- भोक्ताbhoktā
- the experiencer
- अत्रatra
- here
- जीवः खगःjīvaḥ khagaḥ
- the bird which eats the fruit
Translation
Nescience is the root cause for this tree of transmigrating life. Egoism (identification of body–mind–complex as the Self) is the sprout, attachment is the tender shoot and human activity is the water. The body is the trunk, the vital airs are the branches and the sense organs are the sub–branches. Sense objects are the flowers. A variety of misery, arising from a multitude of karma–s is the fruit. The jīva is the bird who experiences the fruit of action.
Annotation
1) Egoism leads to the notion that whatever is good for the body is good for the self. Thus it generates attachment. 2) The sense organs depend on the vital airs and hence they are compared to the minor branches. 3) The flowers (sense objects) and the fruits are connected to the minor branches, which are the sense organs. 4) Sensual pleasure is also bracketed with misery because it entails re–birth. Even the nyāya sūtra–s categorise sensual pleasure as misery (Jagadguru).