SB 11.12.23 · Srimad-Bhagavatam

Devanagari

द्वे अस्य बीजे शतमूलस्त्रिनाल: पञ्चस्कन्ध: पञ्चरसप्रसूति: । दशैकशाखो द्विसुपर्णनीड- स्त्रिवल्कलो द्विफलोऽर्कं प्रविष्ट: ॥ २२ ॥ अदन्ति चैकं फलमस्य गृध्रा ग्रामेचरा एकमरण्यवासा: । हंसा य एकं बहुरूपमिज्यै- र्मायामयं वेद स वेद वेदम् ॥ २३ ॥

Verse text

dve asya bīje śata-mūlas tri-nālaḥ paṣca-skandhaḥ paṣca-rasa-prasūtiḥ daśaika-śākho dvi-suparṇa-nīḍas tri-valkalo dvi-phalo ’rkaṁ praviṣṭaḥ adanti caikaṁ phalam asya gṛdhrā grāme-carā ekam araṇya-vāsāḥ haṁsā ya ekaṁ bahu-rūpam ijyair māyā-mayaṁ veda sa veda vedam

Synonyms

dve — two ; asya — of this tree ; bīje — seeds ; śata — hundreds ; mūlaḥ — of roots ; tri — three ; nālaḥ — lower trunks ; paṣca — five ; skandhaḥ — upper trunks ; paṣca — five ; rasa — saps ; prasūtiḥ — producing ; daśa — ten ; eka — plus one ; śākhaḥ — branches ; dvi — two ; suparṇa — of birds ; nīḍaḥ — a nest ; tri — three ; valkalaḥ — types of bark ; dvi — two ; phalaḥ — fruits ; arkam — the sun ; praviṣṭaḥ — extending into ; adanti — they eat or enjoy ; ca — also ; ekam — one ; phalam — fruit ; asya — of this tree ; gṛdhrāḥ — those who are lusty for material enjoyment ; grāme — in householder life ; carāḥ — living ; ekam — another ; araṇya — in the forest ; vāsāḥ — those who live ; haṁsāḥ — swanlike men, saintly persons ; yaḥ — one who ; ekam — one only, the Supersoul ; bahu — rūpam — appearing in many forms ; ijyaiḥ — by the help of those who are worshipable, the spiritual masters ; māyā — mayam — produced by the potency of the Supreme Lord ; veda — knows ; saḥ — such a person ; veda — knows ; vedam — the actual meaning of the Vedic literature .

Translation

This tree of material existence has two seeds, hundreds of roots, three lower trunks and five upper trunks. It produces five flavors and has eleven branches and a nest made by two birds. The tree is covered by three types of bark, gives two fruits and extends up to the sun. Those lusty after material enjoyment and dedicated to family life enjoy one of the tree’s fruits, and swanlike men in the renounced order of life enjoy the other fruit. One who with the help of the bona fide spiritual masters can understand this tree to be a manifestation of the potency of the one Supreme Truth appearing in many forms actually knows the meaning of the Vedic literature.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

The vultures or householders eat one fruit of the tree and the swans or sannyāsīs eat another fruit of the tree. He who knows the universe of many forms produced by māyā by accepting worshipable gurus knows the meaning of the Vedas. This verse describes the enjoyers of the fruits. The vultures (gṛdhrāḥ), those who desire enjoyment, are the householders (grāme carāḥ). They eat the one fruit of the tree, suffering, made of avidyā. There is only one fruit since both hell and heaven are forms of suffering produced by avidyā. The sannyāsīs (haṁsāḥ) eat one fruit, happiness, arising from vidyā, by discrimination, since things related to jṣāna all give happiness. He who knows about the many forms arising through māyā-śakti, through worshipping gurus, knows the real meaning of the Vedas.

Purport

The two seeds of this tree are sinful and pious activities, and the hundreds of roots are the living entities’ innumerable material desires, which chain them to material existence. The three lower trunks represent the three modes of material nature, and the five upper trunks represent the five gross material elements. The tree produces five flavors — sound, form, touch, taste and aroma — and has eleven branches — the five working senses, the five knowledge-acquiring senses and the mind. Two birds, namely the individual soul and the Supersoul, have made their nest in this tree, and the three types of bark are air, bile and mucus, the constituent elements of the body. The two fruits of this tree are happiness and distress. Those who are busy trying to enjoy the company of beautiful women, money and other luxurious aspects of illusion enjoy the fruit of unhappiness. One should remember that even in the heavenly planets there is anxiety and death. Those who have renounced material goals and taken to the path of spiritual enlightenment enjoy the fruit of happiness. One who takes the assistance of bona fide spiritual masters can understand that this elaborate tree is simply the manifestation of the external potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is ultimately one without a second. If one can see the Supreme Lord as the ultimate cause of everything, then his knowledge is perfect. Otherwise, if one is entangled in Vedic rituals or Vedic speculation without knowledge of the Supreme Lord, he has not achieved the perfection of life.