Its branches spread below and above, nourished by the three qualities of nature, with sense objects as its twigs. Below, in the world of humans, its roots extend downward, bound to action.

The cosmic tree's anatomy is detailed: branches both above and below, all nourished by the three gunas — sattva, rajas, and tamas. The twigs are the sense objects, those small attractive terminals that draw living beings outward and downward. And here is the critical insight: in the human world, there are secondary roots growing downward — the roots of karma, of action bound to desire. Every attachment we form, every action driven by craving, sends another root deeper into the material soil, binding us further. The tree is not evil; it is the structure of samsara itself — endlessly self-reinforcing unless the original root above is recognised and the secondary roots below are severed.