Chandogya Upanishad 6.21
beginner
अस्य सोम्य महतो वृक्षस्य यो मूलेऽभ्याहन्याज्जीवन्स्रवेद्यो मध्येऽभ्याहन्याज्जीवन्स्रवेद्योऽग्रेऽभ्याहन्याज्जीवन्स्रवेत्। स एष जीवेनात्मनानुप्रभूतः पेपीयमानो मोदमानस्तिष्ठति॥
asya somya mahato vṛkṣasya yo mūle\'bhyāhanyājjīvansrаvedyo madhye\'bhyāhanyājjīvansrаvedyo\'gre\'bhyāhanyājjīvansrаvet | sa eṣa jīvenātmanānuprabhuūtaḥ pepīyamāno modamānastiṣṭhati ||
""If someone strikes this great tree at the root, it would ooze sap but live. If struck in the middle, it would ooze sap but live. If struck at the top, it would ooze sap but live. Pervaded by the living Self, it stands drinking and rejoicing.""
What This Means:
A tree struck anywhere continues to live because the life-principle pervades it completely. Strike root, trunk, or branch - it lives.
Going Deeper:
The tree analogy shows how the life-principle (jiva/atman) pervades the entire organism. The body may be wounded, but life persists.
How To Apply This:
Life pervades every part of your being. The Self is not located in one place - it is everywhere in you.
#tree#life-principle#pervasion#persistence of life