na roopamasyeha tathopalabhyate
naanto na chaadirna cha sampratishthaa
ashwatthamenam suviroodhamoolam
asangashastrena dhridhena chhitwaa // 15.3 //

Its  form is not perceived here as such, neither its end nor its origin, nor its existence;  having cut as under this firmly rooted peepal tree with the strong axe of  non-attachment.

tatah padam tat parimaargitavyam
yasmin gataa na nivartanti bhooyah
tameva chaadyam purusham prapadye
yatah pravrittih prasritaa puraanee // 15.4 //

Then  that goal should be sought from where having gone none returns again praying “I  seek refuge in that Primeval Purusha from whom has come forth this cosmic  process”.

In  order to avoid misunderstanding about the tree, The Lord says that its form is  not perceived here as such. The tree of life mentioned in the previous verses  represents the entire field of manifested life.

It  (The Tree) starts from the ignorance of reality, ends on the realization of the  Self and exists only so long as the desires function. Very few understand this implication.  The strongly rooted manifested world can be cut only with non-attachment. The  experience of life is known through Consciousness. If the Consciousness is  withdrawn from the body, mind and intellect the perception, emotion and thought  necessarily end. This removing of Consciousness from the inert body matter is  detachment with which alone multiple experiences can be wiped out. Detachment  from perception, emotion and thought will be nothingness.

To  avoid the nothingness Sri Krishna adds that one should aspire for that goal  from where there will be no return. The seeker of the Divine should withdraw  more and more from the worldly perceptions, emotions and thoughts and meditate  upon the Higher - the source from which the tree of life itself draws its  sustenance. The method suggested to achieve this goal is to take refuge in the  Primeval Purusha who is the source of all expressions of life. How one can visualize  this Primeval Purusha is the theme of this chapter.

nirmaanamohaa jitasangadoshaa
adhyaatmanityaa vinivrittakaamaah
dwandwairvimuktaah sukhaduhkhasamjnair
gacchantyamoodhaah padamavyayam tat // 15.5 //

Free  from pride and delusion, victorious over the evil of attachment, dwelling  constantly in the Self, their desires having completely turned away, freed from  the pairs of opposites known as pleasure and pain, the undeluded reach the  eternal goal.

Sri  Krishna explains certain disciplines or conditions by following which one can  reach the Divine experience and live a life of supreme fulfillment. 

•Free from pride and delusion: Pride and erroneous judgment indicate a false sense of importance or arrogance. These qualities always create mental preoccupation to maintain them leaving no opportunity to think about the greater values. 

•Evil of attachment conquered: Mere sensuous way of life is nothing but a life wasted without realizing its nobler purpose. 

•Ever dwelling in the Self: Detachment from worldly objects is not possible without attachment to precious ideals as human equipment cannot function in a vacuum. However to avoid attachment to evil the seeker should divert his concentration to the Self. 

•Desires completely at rest: Desire is the activity of the intellect. To discipline the intellect pleasures arising out of worldly objects should be discouraged. A mind without desire becomes calm and serene. 

•Released from the pairs of opposites: Mind is the focal point at which pleasure or pain is contacted. Once the mind recognizes the pairs of opposites, it likes that which is agreeable and hates that which is disagreeable. This continuous process of liking and disliking destabilizes the mind. Hence it is advised that one should be equanimous towards the pairs of opposites.

The  Lord assures that such a person reaches the eternal Goal.

MANIFESTED LIFE IS ONLY A PART

na tad bhaasayate sooryo na shashaangko na paavakah
yad gatwaa na nivartante taddhaama paramam mama // 15.6  //

Neither  does the sun illumine there, nor the moon, nor the fire; having gone there they  never return; that is My supreme abode.

Neither  sun nor moon nor fire illumine there: It is explained that the spiritual goal  is the one having gone into which none returns. Perfection gained is never to  be lost. The goal - the state of Perfection - is described here. Sun, moon and  fire are sources of light by which eyes get vision. Light indicates the power  of illumination for the sense organs like hearing by the ears, tasting by the  tongue, feeling by the mind, thinking by the intellect etc. This is the light  of Consciousness by which we become aware of all experiences.

This  light of Consciousness cannot be illumined by any outside gross agents of light  perceived in the world such as sun, moon and fire. In fact the very light of  sun, moon and fire are the objects of consciousness. An object of perception  cannot illumine the subject that perceives it since the subject and the object  cannot be one and the same at any time. The awareness by which we experience  our lives is the Eternal Self and to realize that Consciousness is the goal of  life.

My  Supreme Abode: On transcending the agitations of the mind and intellect one  reaches the state of Consciousness which is the Abode of the Divine. Once this  state is attained the seeker is assured by The Lord that there is no risk of  sliding back to the world of plurality - `to which having gone none returns'.