Slokam 5

Sri Narada curses the two brothers to turn into Kakubha trees and also to remain that way for long. Trees stay in the same spot that they are born in.  They cannot run away from problems.  If there is a cyclone, they have to stay where they are and stand upto it. 

Trees grow and adapt to the environment in which they are located.  If it is tropical and rainy,  they develop roots that are strong and entangled so they don’t fall in the monsoon soil erosion and floods. They adapt to climatic conditions. A drought causes them to send their roots deep into the ground in search of water.  They adapt to soil conditions. The softer the soil the less likely that rain water will remain for long before seeping into the ground.  The soil on the surface will also be shifting. So the base of the tree extends deeper into the ground to get a firmer grip.   They adapt to the number of other trees that are around them. They grow tall to receive enough sunlight, since it may be blocked by the branches of other trees around them.

This adaptation of the trees to ensure their survival and sustenance is very similar to human adaptation to life.  The fruit of the tree is meant for us.  The fruit of knowledge is the development of pure consciousness and is meant to be placed at the feet of the Paramathma. 

Sri Narada tells them that at the end of the assigned time, the two brothers in the form of the Kakubha trees will get the vision of the Paramathma and be restored to their previous status.  It is clear that Sri Narada’s curse causes a temporary detour in the path of the two brothers.  They learn from their experience as trees and then resume their lives as the two rich sons of Kubera.  Hopefully they will be better off from the lessons they learnt from their experience as Kakubha trees.

Sri Bhattadri provides a very valuable insight into eternity of the atma and the transformation of life from one form to another.  In the traditional Darwin’s theory of evolution,  it is suggested that life evolves from “lower” beings to higher beings through genetic transformation.  In the Bhagavath Gita, Sri Krishna Paramathma tells Arjuna, that when people do not follow the dharmic path even after many repetitious lessons, the Paramathma does not hesitate to push them into the abominable world of animals.  So the same individual is incarnated as an animal or other creature.  So according to our scriptures, the evolutionary movement can happen either way – up or down. We may stay in the same place, we may progress or we may regress downward. It is all dependent on the progress that we make by standing firm on the spiritual path.

Pure consciousness will not develop without learning and adaptation.

Another insight that the slokam clearly provides is the insight into the universality of the JivaAtma.  The JivaAtma does not transform or undergo a change only because it assumes the form of a tree or that of a man.  The JivaAtma is the vehicle of transformation.  Its evolution and experience are universal across all living beings.  A tree may not have a mind but it has a JivaAtma which is the experiencer of the events that the tree is subjected to. A tree has no choice because it is constrained by physical limitations of moment and communication.  So it appears that the Jiva Atma cannot directly obtain release from the form of tree to moksham directly. It has to go through the life of a man prior to obtaining release.  The

We can well imagine that a tree would have attributes of forbearance,  which is patience, resignation/acceptance. endurance, fortitude, stoicism.  These are essential qualities in treading the spiritual path.  So it appears that the essential qualities required for moksham or release are acquired by the Jiva Atma through many many births and the taking of many many life forms.

The two brothers, having been told that they would be waiting for a vision of the Paramathma to obtain their release, do so by standing their ground in the form of the Kakubha Trees.  This is a clear pointer that our release from bondage is not within our power.  Our bondage and release are both the prerogatives of the Paramthma.  Note that the slokam clearly says that the release will happen when the brothers get a vision of the Paramathma. 

Do we know why we are taking the form and experiencing the events that we are experiencing?  The answer clearly is “NO”.  However, that lack of knowledge does not make a difference to the outcome.  So the experience that we undergo makes a change to the Jiva Atma without the knowledge of the past karma. The elevated Jiva Atma now carries to the next Janma.  So the evolution is not in the mind.  The evolution from Janma to Janma occurs in the Jiva Atma which is beyond the mind. No matter how hard the mind tries, it has no influence on the karma that it has to undergo. Likewise the experience influences only the Jiva Atma.  The mind, being transient, dies along with the body. 

The slokam implies that there would be no release for the brothers till the paramathma takes on His Avatar on earth and gives the brothers the opportunity of His vision.  The subtle point that is clearly being made here is that we do not see the Paramathma even when He takes the Avatar on earth, unless, in His benevolence,  He grants us the endowment of His vision. The brothers being in the form of trees do not have the benefit of senses to perceive the Paramathma visually. 

The Paramathma manifests all around us in various forms, shapes, sizes, objects and people.  Although we have two eyes, we do not see Him anywhere, until He chooses to reveal Himself to us.  We do not see what is in front of our eyes until we know what we are looking for. We do not know what we are looking for until we are told to look for something either by our physical needs or by someone who needs our help in looking for something.

We are told by the Paramathma to look for Him.  We are given the sensory perception by the Paramathma to enable us to look for what He wants us to look for. We are also told where to look for Him (in dharma, tyagam and selflessness).  So we are given the tools and told about the area where we can find Him.  We are also told about the pathway to get there along with a roadmap on how to navigate that pathway.  There are demons that will prevent us from progressing. 

Like Arjuna and the Pandavas on the Kurukshetra battlefield, we have to fight these demons and defeat them. That is not possible without the Paramathma standing by our side.  We have to allow Him to be our charioteer.  This is not as easy as it sounds because the path that He is going to take us through (which is our life) is filled with dangers and pitfalls that are scary.  We see that the enemy (temptations of this world) is very powerful and may overcome us. 

Some of us, like Arjuna, may also feel that these enemies in battle (the temptations and pitfalls) are our friends and relatives (we are so attached to them), and do not want to fight them!! These pitfalls and temptations are scary and tempting.  If we fall by the wayside, we will perish.  In fact if we do not have the Paramathma by our side, we will surely fall and  perish. 

The situation is set to get us to surrender to the Paramathma.  If we do not, but we decide to undertake the battle anyway, the Paramathma will still be at our side as long as we play by the rules.  But the enemy is daunting and frightening. Also the enemy is adharma. So he will not play by the rules of the game.  He will use all means to destroy us.  We may not be inclined to bend the rules of the game.  We are also outnumbered. We will lose and be destroyed.

Given our limited capability, and our attachment to life, we are inclined to do what Arjuna initially did.  We want to back off and withdraw from the battle of life. Life is not structured to allow us the option to back off.  If that were the case, most of us would withdraw from the battle and our onward journey would come to a standstill. The endless cycle of births and deaths would continue, with no end in sight.

The battle of life is enabled by the Paramathma.  Like the two brothers,  we will have to take the hit when we do not play by the rules of the game.  The brothers were cursed to undergo the lives of trees. As trees they had to face the ever changing environment while being stuck to one spot.  No choice to run away. When given a choice of life as a man, it was abused by the brothers frittering it away for their personal pleasure.   

Now the Jiva Atma of the brothers undergoes a lesson by living as trees with nowhere to go, and no choice except to adapt to the environment. Having taken on this experience and undergoing the necessary transformation, the Jiva Atma is again set on the path to liberation by taking on the swaroopam  of a human being.  

The slokam mentions that the two brothers in the form of trees were waiting for the vision of the Paramathma.  How will trees have a vision? This is a very profound statement in the slokam that provides an insight into what perception is.  Eyes are only the instruments that enable the sight of worldly objects. They do not enable us to see the supreme being.  The vision is enabled only by the Paramathma Himself directly to the Jiva Atma.  That revelation occurs due to complete surrender.  The surrender comes from long periods of forbearance which a tree has to undergo because it is rooted in one spot and the environment shakes it mercilessly. 

The revelation always occurs only at the will of the supreme, whether we have the ability of vision or whether like the trees, we do not have physical eyes.  The Paramathma will reveal Himself only when we are ready to see Him. 

That transformation of the Jiva Atma takes place under the guidance of the Paramatma and that transformation is permanent.  It does not change even when the form changes.  The curse of Sri Narada is always a blessing, because of His Supreme Status.  Likewise for an asura to die at the hands of the Paramathma is the ultimate blessing. 

This is the extent of the infinite kindness of the Paramathma.  He has taken on Himself the responsibility of taking us step by step to complete liberation. An undoubtedly incredible effort on His part with no boundaries or limits. Something we can only appreciate if we are in a sattvic state of mind.

May we, like the Kakubha trees, stand firmly in the assigned spiritual path.