Concepts and Issues
  Sri  Krishna describes Samsara or the created world, comparing it to an inverted  tree. Its root which is on the top is Brahman, the Absolute. The three Gunas  are its branches, the Vedas its leaves and the Vedic rituals are its subsidiary  roots. They have spread out below. However it is not seen as such. Neither its  origin, nor its end, nor its middle can be discerned. One has to cut this tree  by the weapon of detachment and search for that by reaching which, there is no  return to mundane existence.

One  has to take refuge in that primeval person from which this tree of Samsara has  emanated. Only those bereft of egoism, delusion and attachment, who are free  from desires and pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain, who are devoted to  The Lord, can attain that eternal abode. Neither the sun nor the moon nor the  fire can light up that abode. After reaching it there is no return.

The  Jiva or the individual soul is a little part of the Supreme Lord and eternal.  While being born here, he attracts to himself the mind and the five organs of  knowledge. While leaving the body he takes them away with him even as wind  carries away the smell. The Jiva enjoys the sense objects through these sense  organs and the mind. He is too subtle to be perceived by the ignorant whereas  the wise do perceive him. The Yogis striving for perfection succeed in seeing  him.

Sri  Krishna says that He is The Lord, the Light of lights. It is He who supports  the earth and He who sustains vegetation through the moon. It is again He that  is responsible for the digestive process in the body, as the Vaisvanara fire. He is the spirit  established in the hearts of all. He is the one sought by the Vedas. He is the  creator of Vedanta.

In  this world there are two Purushas or beings - Kshara, the perishable and the  Akshara, the imperishable. But He is the Paramatman, the Supreme Self, the  Purushottama, the Being par excellence, different and distinct from them and  pervading all the three worlds. Whoever realizes Him as such, becomes  omniscient and worships Him in all respects.

Live as the Gita Teaches You to Live
  In  this Chapter the core teaching is that Sri Krishna (Brahman) alone exists in  all names and forms, either movable or immovable objects of the universe. All  the planets including the sun, the moon and the stars move and shine with a  fraction of His energy. He alone exists as Consciousness in human beings in the  physical, mental and intellectual levels. He who knows Him as the Supreme  Purusha is the knower of all and worships Him with his whole heart. He who  understands this secret knowledge becomes wise; all his doubts and sufferings  in the world come to an end spontaneously and he becomes the performer of all  the duties.

Points to Ponder
•Why the Samsara is       depicted as an inverted tree with its roots up?
•What are the       contributions of the Three Gunas towards the destruction of men?
•Analyze the term Purushottama.
•How can one reach the       goal of human life - God Realisation?
•Write short notes on:   
a. Kshara and Akshara   
b. Vaisvanara fire   
c. Kootasth am   
d. Paramatma

Next time we shall take up Chapter 16
    HARIH OM