Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya 468

Srimad Bhagavad Gita -Ramanujacharya

Chapter-15 Puruṣottama Yogaḥ

adhaścordhvaṃ prasṛtās tasya śākhāḥ guṇa-pravṛddhā viṣaya pravālāḥ | adhaśca mūlāny-anusantatāni karmānubandhīni manuṣya-loke || 2 || 2. Both above and below its branches spread out, nourished by the Gunas, the shoots are the sense-objects, and their dependant roots extend downward in the mortal world resulting in acts which bind (karma). Commentary This Aśvattha tree spreads downwards with humans and other beings, produced by their own respective Karmas, as branches. Other branches spread upwards in the forms of [celestial beings] such as Gandharvas, Yakṣas, Devas, etc. They are nourished by the three Modes of Material Nature. They have tender shoots in the form of sense-objects which are sound, sight, taste, feel and smell. Sri Krishna explains how this happens;— the 'dependant roots' of this banyan tree with the main roots in the world of Brahma and its top in this mortal world extends downwards. These roots are the effects of karma which causes bondage. In other words, the effects of actions done in the human state bring about the further rebirth as humans, beasts etc., down below, and as celestial beings up above.