Lift yourself by yourself, but don’t condemn yourself. You are your friend, and you are your enemy. ~ Bhagavad Gita
Where are your roots pointing—upwards or downwards? The peepal tree, also known as Ashwattha, symbolises the samsara (worldly life) tree whose roots face upwards. Unlike other trees, whose roots are hidden beneath the ground, the roots of the peepal tree are visible.
This represents a life of deficiency, marked by visible traits such as disorder, ego, frustration, foolishness, jealousy and selfishness. Another interpretation is that the upward-pointing roots of the peepal tree reflect the perspective of an ordinary person rooted in samsara. Such a person might feel that their life is progressing or going upward. However, in reality, the branches point downwards, indicating a decline in life.
This signifies that while one may believe they are advancing, they are, in fact, moving towards deficiency and unprofitable growth. In essence, while you aim to rise in life, the process may actually lead you ownwards, contrary to your intentions.
Sometimes, in the search for the better, you lose the best. We seek money, power, position and status, and we dedicate our lives to this so-called upward growth, do we not? But in the process, we lose the essence of life. We live a life full of tension, chasing money, power and position, so much so that the vitality of truly living is lost in the desire to move upward.
At the time of death, you have to leave behind all of these. Life becomes consumed by the hope of progress or upward movement, but the energy driving this desire is filled with tension. The reality is that life becomes overwhelmed by desire, hope and anxiety. Thus, in truth, rather than moving upwards, you are actually heading downwards.
Hence, one’s life is consumed by the act of ‘becoming’, driven by the hope of fulfilling desires that lie in the future. However, the actual experience of life remains unfulfilling. Are you not, then, going downwards? This is especially evident in a person living a materialistic life immersed in samsara.
