The Blessed Lord said: Wise men speak of an eternal banyan tree that has its roots above and its branches below. The Vedic hymns are its leaves; he who understands this tree knows the essence of the Vedas. Its branches grow upward and downward, nourished by the three modes of material nature, and its buds are the objects of the senses. Its secondary roots, which bind the soul to the cycle of karma, stretch deep into the human world. In this world, the true form of this tree cannot be perceived, nor can its beginning, its end, or its ultimate foundation be grasped. To reach the supreme goal, one must use the strong axe of detachment to cut down this deeply rooted, illusory tree. Once it is severed, one must seek that destination from which, having attained it, there is no return, and surrender to that Primeval Being from whom the ancient manifestation of the universe has flowed. Those who are free from pride and delusion, who have conquered the evil of attachment and dwell constantly in the Self, who have transcended the dualities of pleasure and pain—these undeluded souls reach that eternal, supreme abode. It is a realm that the sun, the moon, and fire cannot illuminate; once one attains it, one never returns to this world of suffering. It is an eternal fragment of Myself that becomes the living soul in the world of beings. As it struggles within the constraints of material nature, it draws to itself the five senses and the mind as the sixth. When the soul enters a body or leaves it, it carries these senses with it, just as the wind carries scents from their sources. Presiding over the ears, eyes, skin, tongue, nose, and mind, the soul enjoys the objects of the senses. The deluded cannot perceive the soul when it dwells in the body, departs from it, or experiences the modes of nature; only those with the eye of knowledge can see. Yogis who strive for perfection behold Him dwelling within the Self, but the unrefined and the unintelligent, though they may struggle, cannot see Him. Know that the brilliance of the sun, which illuminates the entire world, and the light in the moon and the fire, all proceed from Me. Permeating the earth, I sustain all beings with My energy; as the life-giving moon, I nourish all medicinal plants. I am the fire of digestion in the bodies of all living creatures, and, joining with the vital breaths, I process the four types of food. I am seated in the hearts of all; from Me come memory, knowledge, and the loss of both. I am the one who is to be known by all the Vedas, the author of the Vedanta, and the knower of the Vedas themselves. There are two kinds of beings in this world: the perishable and the imperishable. All individual beings are perishable, while the unchanging witness is called the imperishable. But distinct from both is the Supreme Being, the Highest Self, who enters the three worlds as the indestructible Lord and sustains them. Because I transcend the perishable and am superior even to the imperishable, I am celebrated in the world and in the Vedas as the Supreme Divine Personality. O descendant of Bharata, he who is free from delusion and knows Me as this Supreme Personality, knows everything and worships Me with his whole being. Thus, O sinless one, I have imparted this most secret science. By understanding it, one becomes truly enlightened, and the purpose of all human striving is fulfilled.