In plain words
Its branches spread below and above, nourished by the guṇas, with sense objects as their tender shoots; and its roots stretch downward into the human world, giving rise to action.
Word for word
Below and above spread its branches, grown by the guṇas, [with] sense objects [as] shoots; and below, the roots stretch on, having action [as their] sequel, in the human world.
अधश्चोर्ध्वं प्रसृतास्तस्य शाखाःगुणप्रवृद्धा विषयप्रवालाःअधश्च मूलान्यनुसन्ततानिकर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके
Other commentaries
The commentators
▸Bhagavadgītābhāṣyam
तस्य एतस्य संसारवृक्षस्य अपरा अवयवकल्पना उच्यते —
अधः मनुष्यादिभ्यो यावत् स्थावरम् ऊर्ध्वं च यावत् ब्रह्मणः विश्वसृजो धाम इत्येतदन्तं यथाकर्म यथाश्रुतं ज्ञानकर्मफलानि, तस्य वृक्षस्य शाखा इव शाखाः प्रसृताः प्रगताः, गुणप्रवृद्धाः गुणैः सत्त्वरजस्तमोभिः प्रवृद्धाः स्थूलीकृताः उपादानभूतैः, विषयप्रवालाः विषयाः शब्दादयः प्रवालाः इव देहादिकर्मफलेभ्यः शाखाभ्यः अङ्कुरीभवन्तीव, तेन विषयप्रवालाः शाखाः । संसारवृक्षस्य परममूलं उपादानकारणं पूर्वम् उक्तम् । अथ इदानीं कर्मफलजनितरागद्वेषादिवासनाः मूलानीव धर्माधर्मप्रवृत्तिकारणानि अवान्तरभावीनि तानि अधश्च देवाद्यपेक्षया मूलानि अनुसन्ततानि अनुप्रविष्टानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि कर्म धर्माधर्मलक्षणम् अनुबन्धः पश्चाद्भावि, येषाम् उद्भूतिम् अनु उद्भवति, तानि कर्मानुबन्धीनि मनुष्यलोके विशेषतः । अत्र हि मनुष्याणां कर्माधिकारः प्रसिद्धः ॥ २ ॥
In plain words
Now here is another picture of this same tree's parts —
'Below' stretches from humans down through every form of plant life; 'and above' reaches all the way up to the world of Brahmā, the creator himself. Across this whole span, according to each being's own past actions and what scripture teaches, the fruits of knowledge and action are spread out. These fruits are like the branches of that tree: spread wide, extending outward, thickened and coarsened by the three guṇas, sattva, rajas, and tamas, which are their very material. And these branches sprout sense-objects: sound and everything else we perceive spring from them the way new shoots spring from a branch, since those branches are themselves the fruit of embodied action. That's why they're called 'branches whose sprouts are sense-objects'. The primary root of this tree of saṃsāra, its material cause, was already explained in the previous verse. Now there are also secondary roots: the latent impressions of attachment and aversion born from the fruits of action, which drive us toward right or wrong action, functioning one level down from the primary root. These secondary roots run downward, so to speak, relative to the gods and higher realms — they form a continuous, deeply embedded web, tied to action. 'Action' here means whatever falls under right or wrong conduct, and 'what follows' simply means whatever arises after these impressions arise. And these action-bound roots operate especially in the human world, because it is here, above all, that human beings are recognized as eligible to act.
Close to the Sanskrit
Of this same tree of transmigration, a further figurative depiction of its parts is [now] stated —
'Below' — from humans and so on, down to immobile beings; 'and above' — up to the abode of Brahmā, the creator of the universe — up to this extent — according to action, according to what is heard in scripture, [there extend] the fruits of knowledge and action; like the branches of that tree, [these are its] branches, spread out, extended, increased by the guṇas — [namely] increased, made gross, by the guṇas sattva, rajas and tamas as their material cause — having sense-objects as sprouts: sense-objects being sound and so on, like sprouts, sprouting as it were from the branches that are the fruits of action such as embodiment; therefore these are called 'having sense-objects as sprouts', [i.e. as] branches. The primary root, the material cause, of the tree of saṃsāra was stated before. Now, at this point, the latent impressions of attachment, aversion and so on born from the fruits of action, which are like secondary roots, being the causes of engaging in dharma and adharma, are intermediate phenomena; those, moreover, extending downward, relative to the gods and so on, are roots that are continuous, that have penetrated in, bound to action; 'action' means characterized by dharma and adharma; 'anubandha' means that which comes after, [namely] whatever arises following the arising of those impressions; those roots bound to action exist especially in the human world. For here, indeed, the eligibility of human beings for action is well established.