Why Hindus Worship Trees? it is Aswattha, Narayana, anmd Jagannatha
(Compilation for a discourse by N.R.Srinivasan , Nashville,
TN, October2016)
The worship of Trees is
an ancient tradition in India among all in general and Hindus in particular.
Each religion has its own stories, myths and beliefs to tell. Hindus regard all flora and fauna as
sacred. The trees that are sanctified
reveal the socio-economic and health concern of the ancient people. While we in the modern world often work to
conquer and exploit Mother Nature the ancient worshiped Nature and thanked her
for the benefits she gave them. Supreme Being as Self in us pervades all beings
be they are plants or animals. Hence
they are all regarded as sacred. So the Vedas remind us constantly to “Look
upon all beings as your own self” (Aatmavat
sarvabhooteshu). They meet our vital needs that make our life
possible on earth--food, oxygen, clothing, shelter, medicines etc. They lend
beauty and calmness to surroundings. They serve man without expectation and
sacrifice themselves to sustain us. If a stone is thrown on a fruit laden tree,
they in turn reward us with a fruit. Presently the world is threatened by the
destruction of forest lands and the extinction of many species of vegetable
kingdom due to our callousness. This is
because we take care only what we value. In Hindu culture we are taught to
regard plants and trees as sacred. In
our concluding prayers we plead for peace in the vegetable Kingdom—Vanaspatayah
santih (May calmness prevail
in the vegetable kingdom!)
Hindu scriptures
mandate that if we cut one tree for any reason we should in turn plant ten more
of them. We are also urged to apologize to a tree before cutting it to avoid incurring
a specific sin named soona. In our
Sunday schools we learn about the sacrifice and service done by plants and
trees and about our duty towards them to plant and nourish them as promoted in Palika sthaapanam and
visarjanam( sprouting seeds
and immersing the sprouts)
in Sacraments. We are told divine beings live
in trees and plants and so Hindus worship them to fulfill their desires to
please the Lord.
Indian
sages and seers eulogized asvattha
or peepal (Ficus religiosa), Gular (Ficus glomerata), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Bel (Aegle marmelos), Bargad or Banyan (Ficus bengalensis), Asoka (Sereca
indica), Amala (Phyllanthus emblica),
Arjuna (Terminalia Arjuna) and many
other trees which acquired social and religious sanctity with the passage of
time.
Bel,
rudraksa (seeds of Elaeccarpus) and Ber (Zizyphus
jujuba) are considered dear to Lord Siva, Sala (Shorea robusta) and Pipal to Lord Vishnu; Kadamba (Anthocephalus cadamba) to Lord Krishna;
Mango (Mangifera indica) to Lord
Hanuman, asoka to Kamadeva; Silk
Cotton (Bombax malabaricum) to the
Goddess Laksmi; and Coconut or Sriphala (Cocos
nucifera) to Varuna or the lord of waters, and to many other gods and
goddesses.
As sacred forests
were replaced by agriculture, a single tree was left out which was designated
as sacred tree. The earliest temples were icons placed under the shade of a
tree. Rigveda says plants are the ones that grew in old times
much earlier than the devas (the shining ones).
Plants were revered for their medicinal qualities, like Tulasi about
which I have talked about, for their economic value used in catamarans in the
South Indian coastal regions; for their ecological importance, mangroves in
Chidambaram; and for their socio-cultural role the Banyan tree.
The sacred trees whose fagots are used in Hindu fire sacrifices
are: Asvattha, Udumbara, Paalaasa, Samee, Vikankata, Asanihita Vriksha and
Pushakaraparna known as Sapta samidhah (seven sacred fagots) creating seven
kinds of sacrificial flames (Saptaarchishah).
We come across many mantras in Vedas and Upanishads and in Baghavad Gita
in their spiritual discussions about Asvattha which we will discuss in detail
later in this discourse.
Aswattha
The last Valli of Katha Upanishad sets out with the description of
Samsaara Vriksha (the tree of worldly existence) in a poetical language. That
tree is an upside-down tree with the root above and the branches below. This
root is Brahman. Bhagavad Gita and Katha Upanishad compare draw anology of
Aswattha Tree to this Spiritual Tree.
Plaksa or Palasa popularly called Aswattha is
a possible Sanskrit term for Ficus religiosa. However, according to MacDonnell and Keith (1912), it denotes the wavy-leaved fig
tree (Ficus infectoria) instead. Pipal
and Banyan trees are celebrated in Hindu scriptures. Pipal is one of the trees whose twigs are used
in Hindu Yajanas and Homas (fire sacrifices) out of the 21 kinds of fagots
used. Rituals are often conducted under its shade to beget children and also
avoid widowhood. Aswattha is the Sanskrit name for Pippala. As the name indicates
Aswattha means where horses stood which animal was very popular during Vedic
culture. The nomenclatures Hayavadana,
Hayagrieva and Vajasaneya we hear in Upanishads are all derived from horse. Adisankara associated
this tree associated with entire cosmos and the word Aswattha according
to him meant one that does not remain
the same tomorrow (as against saasvata=permanent) referring to the
ever changing world. Thus the tree represents the universe itself and
therefore most sacred tree for Hindus. Puransa
say its roots are Brahma, its bark Vishnu and its branches Siva responsible for
creation, sustenance and dissolution
functions of Supreme Being. Aswattha
is described as “Tree of knowledge”, “Tree of life”, ”Tree of Eternal Life” and
“Tree of Creation” etc. It is associated
with fertility and worshiped by women for getting children and longevity of
life for their husbands. It is looked upon as Incarnation of Vishnu and
embodiment of Lakshmi. Felling of this tree is considered as capital sin.
Budddha achieved
enlightenment beneath this tree. Dakshinamurty, Siva, the divine teacher and
several human beings sat under this tree to learn or teach scriptures of
wisdom. In Bhagavad Gita Bhagawan says in 10-26 that he is “Asvatthah sarvavrikshaanam “ I am the Asvattah tree among all the
trees. This implies all trees are sacred as Asvattha is most sacred. Bhagavad Gita compares human life to the eternal
Asvattha tree with roots growing above and branches beneath. Lord Krishna died
under this tree while resting, killed by a hunter accidentally and so people never cut this tree
down. The Tenth Theerthankara of Jainism attained nirvana under this tree.
Various Puranas
glorify Aswattha and have their own stories: Vishnu Purana says just as Pipal
tree is contained in a small seed so is the whole universe from Brahman. Brahma
Purana says when Asuras (demons) defeated Devas (divines) Vishnu hid himself in Pipal tree. Therefore
the religious worship Pipal as Vishnu. Padma Purana has its own story to tell. Alakshmi occupies this tree every Saturday
like the planet Saturn (Sani devata) so she is also worshiped on this day like
Sani. Both are associated with misfortune. Skanda Purana
considers Pipal tree as symbol of Vishnu. If somebody does not have a son
he can consider Pipal tree to be his son. Then the family will continue as long
as this adopted tree lives. By taking
care of this tree and worshiping one earns merits (punya) and one who cuts goes to hell (Papa). Vayu
Purana recommends twigs of this tree for Shraadha Homa (rites to diseased
parents).
Tamils think Thiruppullani
is the birth place of Vishnu. They
believe Pulavar Kalavar and Kanva Maharshi did penance here. The prime deity faces east in the sitting posture with Sri
Devi and Bhu Devi here. Similarly, His
Consort Sri Padmasani Thayar sits and renders Her blessings to the devotees.
Near this shrine is the age-old Pipal (Aswatha) tree and is considered to be
the incarnation of Aswatha Narayanan who revealed Himself to the three sages, Pullavar,
Kannuvar, and Kaalavar. The Prime Deity is also known as ‘Dakshina
Jagannathan’, installed as a Saalagrama by the Devas during the Swayambhu Manvanthara.
It is said that the childless Emperor Dasaratha worshipped Lord Jagannatha and
received as blessings his four sons. So Vishnu was born here to bless them. Following the legend, childless couple perform a worship
called nagapratishtha (installing a statue of snake god) under the tree in
the temple. Sweet pudding is offered to childless couple praying for a child.
It is believed that Adi Jaganatha bestows a child, like Rama, when such kind of worship is
performed.
Bengalis observe
Asvatthapatra Vrata on this day with five different kinds of leaves. New leaf
for a birth of a son; a young green leaf for beauty and youthfulness; old leaf
for longevity of husband; dry leaf for increased happiness and wealth; and
withered leaf for wealth beyond expectations.
There are also many folk-lores
on Aswattha. In Tamil Nadu Asvattha and Neem trees are grown together and Nagaprathishta is done
under these pairs of trees and worshipped praying for wealth and property. Intertwined snake tablets are installed and
worshiped for fertility. Coiled snakes are worshiped for childlessness.
Devotees bathe and circum-ambulate the shrine 108 or 1008 times. If horoscope
predicts widowhood first marriage is done to Pipal tree to prevent the misfortune.
Many of the Pipal trees seen in Hardwar today are older than the modern city itself.
Swami Prabhupada has the following spiritual explanation of
the Asvattha tree based on Bhagavad Gita:
“The branches of the Asvattha tree are spread in all directions. In the lower parts, there
are variegated manifestations of living entities, such as human beings,
animals, horses, cows, dogs, cats, etc. These are situated on the lower parts
of the branches, whereas the upper parts are higher forms
of living entities. : Devatas, the Demigods, Gandharvas (fairies), Sadhyas,
Kinnaras, Kimpurushas, Gajavadanas, Hayavadanas, Bhootaganas and many other higher species of lie. As a
tree is nourished by water, so this tree is nourished by the three modes of
material nature. Sometimes we find that a tract of land is barren for want of
sufficient water, and sometimes a tract is very green; similarly, where the
modes of material nature are proportionately greater in quantity, the different
species of life are manifested in that proportion. The twigs of the tree are
considered to be the sense objects. By development of trees of the different
modes of nature, we develop different senses, and, by the senses we enjoy different
varieties of sense objects. The source of the senses—the ears, the nose, eyes etc.—is considered to be the upper twigs,
tuned to the enjoyment of different sense objects. The leaves are sound, form, touch—the
sense objects. The roots, which are subsidiary, are the by-products of different
varieties of suffering and sense enjoyment. Thus we develop attachment and
aversion. The tendencies toward piety and impiety are considered to be the secondary
roots spreading in all directions. The real root is from Brahmaloka, and the
other roots are in human planetary systems. After one enjoys the results of
virtuous activities in the upper planetary systems, he comes down to this earth
and renews his Karma or fruits of activities for promotion. This planet of
human beings is considered to be field of activities while higher planets are
for enjoyment” [Only humans are born mortal while higher species like devatas, gandhrvas etc. are all
created immortal(Brihadaranyaka)]
VATA VRIKSHA
We have all heard of the ancient Vatavriksha in Gaya being
worshipped. Next to Aswattha the Vat, Bargad or Banyan tree is one of
the most venerated trees in India. It has the ability to survive and grow for
centuries and is often compared to the shelter given by God to his devotees. In Hindu mythology, the tree is called
Kalpavriksha, the tree that provides fulfilment of wishes and other material
gains. It symbolizes Trimurti - Lord Vishnu is believed to be the bark, Lord
Brahma the roots, and Lord Shiva the branches like Aswattha who are often dealt
at the same level. In Sanskrit we have two distinct names—Aswattha and Vata. The Banyan tree is mentioned in many
scriptures as a tree of immortality. Its
aerial roots grow down into the soil forming additional trunks and is therefore
called Bahupada, the one with several feet. It symbolizes longevity and represents
the divine creator, Brahma. The Banyan
is associated with Yama the god of death and the tree is often planted near
crematoria. Hindus knew the Banyan tree
as the vat-vriksha. When the British came to India, they noticed that members
of the trading or Bania community used to gather under a large shady fig tree,
which they named the Banyan, a favorite meeting place of Banias. The Banyan tree
does not let a blade of grass grow under it. Thus it does not allow for rebirth
and renewal. That is why it is not part of fertility ceremonies like marriage
and childbirth like the Plantain tree.
In iconography, Shiva is visualized as Dakshinamurti, he who
faces the south, that being the direction of death and change. He sits under
the Banyan, the botanical embodiment of the universal soul, facing the terror
of death and change stoically, unafraid because of his profound understanding
of the world. This tree is also sacred to the Buddhists. After attaining
enlightenment, Lord Buddha is believed to have sat under a Banyan tree for
seven days, absorbed in his new-found realization.
Banana
Yet another plant
that is popularly worshiped by Hindus is the Banana. Kadali
in Sanskrit means flagger or banner. Kela
in Hindi means shaking or trembling.
Mocha in Sanskrit means juicy or acetic. Banana is also celebrated in several Puranas. Tamils consider Bananana to be incarnation of
Siva and worship the plant. It is the most popular fruit offered to the Lord
during all worships. Bananas fertilize
without cross pollination. So it is incarnation of Parvati Plantain tree is
worshipped as Nanda Devi. In Bengal marriages are performed under it. Plantain
branches are very sacred to all Hindus and all its parts are used during
worship and rituals. Young and
matured cut out plants are always seen
as auspicious welcoming plants on all sacraments celebrations and temple
worships. Adam and Eve used Banana
leaves as clothing to cover their naked bodies.
Lotus
Sometimes
we wonder how something so obvious
becomes oblivious for the eyes not to recognize, for the soul not to realize,
the significance, the reverence, the deference, of God's creation, which is
all-around us without the recognition like the divine Lotus Flower!
Lotus
is the first product of the creative principle. So plant life was the beginning of life in
creation. Even among humans we still find stone-person (jada), plant-person,
animal person and person-person culminating in super-person or Jnaani showing
that creation started with non-sentient to sentient. We will talk about this later in detail. Padmapurana
says that the world was born through a "Golden Lotus" and
also mentions of Padmakalpa, the Lotus Age. Lotus is India’s National flower.
It is the symbol of Truth, Auspiciousness and Beauty (Satyam Sivam Sundaram). The Lord is also of that nature and
therefore he is often described as possessing lotus eye, lotus
feet, lotus hands, and often addressed as the lotus of the heart (spiritual
heart) or Self. Almost all Hindu scriptures extol the beauty
of the lotus. Hindus names are often drawn from lotus—Padma, Pankaj,
Kamala, Padmakshi, Padmapriya, Kamlakshi, Padmalochan etc. The
lotus blooms with the rising sun and closes with the setting sun. Our minds
too, open up and expand with the light of knowledge. Its leaves and
petals remain beautiful and untainted despite the muddy and dirty
surroundings. It reminds us that we too should strive to remain pure and
beautiful within, under all circumstances. It symbolizes a Man of Wisdom
(Jnaani) who remains ever happy unaffected by the world of sorrow and change as
described in Bhagavad Gita: “Brahmanyadhaaya karmaani
sangam tyaktvaa karoti yah | lipyate na sa paapena padmapatramivaambhasa”
He who
does actions, offering them to Supreme Being (Brahman) abandoning all
attachments is not tainted by sin, just as a lotus leaf remains y unaffected in
muddy water on it. Please go through my detailed discourse on the subject “Padmapatramivaambhasa”
From
this we learn that what is natural to the man of wisdom becomes a discipline to
be practiced by all spiritual seekers and devotees. Our bodies have
certain energy centers described as Kundalinee power and
Chakras about which I talked about. For example Sahasraara chakra
at the top of the head, that opens when the Yogi attains Godhood or
Realization, is represented by a lotus with one thousand petals. Also,
the lotus posture (Padmaasana) is recommended when one meditates.
The
lotus emerged from the navel of Vishnu and from it Brahma was born.
Hence the lotus symbolizes the link between the creator and the Supreme cause.
It also symbolizes Brahmaloka, the abode of Brahma. The auspicious sign of
swastika is said to have evolved from the lotus.
Upanishads repeatedly say that the Atman dwells in the lotus
within the heart. Within the center of the lotus, see a small
light. Atman within the heart looks like a brilliant light about
the size of your thumb, just a small light. This light is an emanation of your
radiant being. It is dwelling right within. The Self God is deeper than that.
The lotus is within the heart, and the Self God dwells deep within that lotus
of light. Within each human is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents
eternity, purity, divinity, and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility,
ever- renewing youth. Upanishads
describe that water represents the procreative aspect of the
Absolute, and the cosmic lotus, the generative. The object and place for the
unbroken meditation of the Supreme Divine is the Lotus of the Spiritual heart says MNU in its Mantra:
Dahram vipaapam
varavesmabhoota yat Pundareekam
puramadhyasa(ga)masthi | Tatraapi dahre gaganam
visokam tasminyadantastadupaasitavyam ||
In the citadel of the body there is the small sinless and
pure lotus of the heart which is the residence of the Supreme. Further in the
interior of this small area there is the Ether devoid of sorrow. That Ether is
to be meditated upon continuously. (The holy inner apartment is called by the
name Pundarika as the name suggests says Bhattabhaskara—punyaa
dareee pundaree, taam kaayati sabdayat iti)
Trilok
Chandra Majupuria of Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu says: The Taittiriya
Brahmana describes how Prajapati, desiring to evolve the universe, which was
then fluid, saw a lotus-leaf, pushkara parna, coming out of water. It is
described that when divine life-substance was about to put forth the universe,
the cosmic waters grew a thousand-petal lotus flower of pure gold,
radiant like the sun. This was considered to be a doorway, or an opening of the
mouth of the womb of the universe. Lotus is the first product
of the creative principle. The role of Lord Brahma was to re-create the
universe after the great flood on this planet. In order to create the universe,
He used the different parts of the lotus plant. Lotus stem based food delicacy
in North India. Orthodox Vaishanvites in South India do not use lotus stem in
cooking as this plant is part and parcel of Vishnu (umbilical
cord of creation).
Mahabharata
says Lakshmi emerged from a lotus which grew from the forehead of Lord Vishnu.
That is why a garland of 108 lotus seeds is used for the worship of Lakshmi.
The Goddess of Power Durga was created by Lord Siva to fight demons and was
adorned with a garland of lotus flowers by Varuna. Goddess of Wisdom,
Saraswati is associated with the white Lotus. Virtually every God and Goddess
of Hinduism; Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Parvati, Durga, Agni, Ganesha,
Rama and Surya; are typically shown sitting on the lotus, often holding a lotus
flower in their hand. The lotus which serves thus as the seat of the Deity,
signifying their divinity and purity, is called Padmasana or Kamalasana.
Spiritual
focus on Lotus has also taken root in Chinese cultures with a famous statement
made by the 11th century Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi:
"I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained."
In Buddhist philosophy the lotus is symbolic of purity of the body, mind and
speech, as while rooted in the mud, its flowers blossom on long stalks as if
floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. It is also symbolic
of detachment as drops of water easily slide off its petals. According to
mythology Gautama Buddha was born with the ability to walk and everywhere he
stepped, lotus flowers bloomed. For Buddhists, the lotus flower symbolizes the
most exalted state of human; head held high, pure and undefiled in the sun,
feet rooted in the world of experience.
Glorifying
trees and plants that inspire spiritual thoughts in scriptures is not peculiar
to Hinduism alone. In Christian
theology, consuming the fruit of the tree
of knowledge of good and evil was the original sin committed by Adam and Eve that subsequently became
known as the Fall of Man in Genesis.
Here
is a brief citation of the Forbidden Tree in Wikipedia in Abrahamic Religions:
The
Forbidden Tree in Abrahamic Religions
Judaism:
In Jewish tradition, the Tree of
Knowledge and the eating of its fruit represents the beginning of the mixture
of good and evil together. Before that time, the two were separate, and evil
had only a nebulous existence in potential. While free choice did exist before
eating the fruit, evil existed as an entity separate from the human psyche, and
it was not in human nature to desire it. Eating and internalizing the forbidden
fruit changed this and thus was born the yeitzer
hara, the Evil Inclination.
In Kabbalah, the sin
of the Tree of Knowledge (called Cheit Eitz HaDa'at) brought about the
great task of beirurim, sifting through the mixture of good and evil in
the world to extract and liberate the sparks of holiness trapped therein. Since evil has no independent existence, it
depends on holiness to draw down the Divine life-force, on whose
"leftovers" it then feeds and derives existence. Once evil is
separated from holiness through beirurim, its source of life is cut off,
causing the evil to disappear. Thus,
the task of beirurim rectifies the sin of the Tree and draws the
Shecinah back down to earth, where the sin of the Tree had caused Her to
depart.
In Catholicism
Augustine underlined that the fruits of that tree were not evil by themselves,
because everything that God created was good (Gen 1:12). It was
disobedience of Adam and Eve, who had been told by God not to eat of the tree
(Gen 2:17), that was obnoxious and caused disorder in the creation, thus
humanity inherited sin and guilt from Adam and Eve's sin.
In Western Christian
art, the fruit of the tree is commonly depicted as the Apple which originated
in Central Asia. This depiction may have originated as a Latin pun: by eating
the malum (apple), Eve contracted mālum (evil). It is also possible that this depiction
originated simply because of the religious painters' artistic license.
Islam: The Quran does not name this tree and it is
always referred to as "the tree". Muslims believe that when God
created Adam and Eve, He told them that they could enjoy everything in the
Garden but this tree, and so, Satan appeared to them and told them that the
only reason God forbade them to eat from that tree is that they would become
Angels or become immortals.
When they ate from
this tree their nakedness appeared to them and they began to sew together, for
their covering, leaves from the Garden. The Qur'an mentions the sin as being a
'slip', and after this 'slip' they were sent to the destination they were
intended to be on, Earth. Consequently, they repented to God and asked for his
forgiveness and were forgiven. It was decided that those who obey God and
follow his path shall be rewarded with everlasting life in Jannah and those who disobey God and stray
away from his path shall be punished in Jahannam.
God in Quran states:
"[O] Children of Adam! Let not Satan tempt you as he brought your parents
out of the Garden, stripping them of their garments to show them their shameful
parts. Surely he [Satan] sees you, He and his tribe, from where you see them
not. We have made the Satans the friends of those who do not believe."
Other cultures
The Tamil poem
"Tala Vilasam" recounts a legend of the tree that parallels the
Biblical account. In it, the Creator Brahma finally allows the people access to
the tree which, in this case, is the Palmyra palm tree Barbicels flabelliform. Unfortunately its detailed texts are not
clearly reproducible in its dilapidated state of
preservation.
Dr. Hermann Hesse has beautifully
summarized Western Thoughts as well as
his on Trees that inspire Spiritual thoughts in us:
Trees Inspire Spiritual
Thoughts in Us
Trees have long
thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives than ours.
They are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. But when we
have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness and the
childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy. Whoever has
learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree. He wants to be nothing except what he is.
That is home. That is happiness.
For me, trees have
always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in
tribes and families, in forests and groves. And even more I revere them when
they stand alone. They are like lonely persons. Not like hermits who have
stolen away out of some weakness, but like great, solitary men, like Beethoven
and Nietzsche. In their highest boughs the world rustles, their roots rest in
infinity; but they do not lose themselves there, they struggle with all the
force of their lives for one thing only: to fulfil themselves according to
their own laws, to build up their own form, to represent themselves. Nothing is
holier and nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. When a tree
is cut down and reveals its naked death-wound to the sun, one can read its
whole history in the luminous, inscribed disk of its trunk: in the rings of its
years, its scars, all the struggle, all the suffering, all the sickness, all
the happiness and prosperity stand truly written, the narrow years and the
luxurious years, the attacks withstood, the storms endured. And every young
farm boy knows that the hardest and noblest wood has the narrowest rings, that
high on the mountains and in continuing danger the most indestructible, the strongest,
the ideal trees grow.
Trees are
sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them and whoever knows how to listen
to them, can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they
preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.
A tree says: A kernel
is hidden in me, a spark, a thought and I am life from eternal life. The
attempt and the risk that the eternal mother took with me is unique, unique the
form and veins of my skin, unique the smallest play of leaves in my branches
and the smallest scar on my bark. I was made to form and reveal the eternal in
my smallest special detail.
A tree says: My
strength is trust. I know nothing about my fathers and I know nothing about the
thousand children that every year spring out of me. I live out the secret of my
seed to the very end, and I care for nothing else. I trust that God is in me. I
trust that my labor is holy. Out of this trust I live.
When we are stricken
and cannot bear our lives any longer, then a tree has something to say to us:
Be still! Be still! Look at me! Life is not easy, life is not difficult. Those
are childish thoughts. Let God speak within you, and your thoughts will grow
silent. You are anxious because your path leads away from mother and home. But
every step and every day lead you back again to the mother. Home is neither
here nor there. Home is within you, or home is nowhere at all.
A longing to wander tears my heart when I hear trees rustling in the wind at
evening. If one listens to them silently for a long time, this longing reveals
its kernel, its meaning. It is not so much a matter of escaping from one's
suffering, though it may seem to be so. It is a longing for home, for a memory
of the mother, for new metaphors for life. It leads home. Every path leads
homeward, every step is birth, every step is death, every grave is mother.
So the tree rustles
in the evening, when we stand uneasy before our own childish thoughts: Trees
have long thoughts, long-breathing and restful, just as they have longer lives
than ours. They are wiser than we are, as long as we do not listen to them. But
when we have learned how to listen to trees, then the brevity and the quickness
and the childlike hastiness of our thoughts achieve an incomparable joy.
Whoever has learned how to listen to trees no longer wants to be a tree! He
wants to be nothing except what he is. That is home. That is happiness.”
Hindu saints still
meditate beneath sacred fig trees, and Hindus do circum-ambulation or
meditative pacing (pradakshina) around the sacred fig tree as a mark
of worship. Usually seven pradakshinas are done around the tree in the morning
time chanting "vriksha rajaya namah", meaning "salutation
to the king of trees." It is claimed that the 27 stars (constellations)
constituting 12 houses (rasis) and 9 Navagrahas
are specifically represented precisely
by 27 trees—one for each star. The Bodhi Tree is said to represent the star Pushya (Western star name γ, δ and θ Cancri in the Cancer
constellation).
Volumes can be
written on various trees as to their spiritual, religious significance and
medicinal values described in Ayurveda, life Science. Space and time does not oblige the same. But I would like to confine present discourse
on important spiritual focus on trees contained in Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita
often discussed by Vedic Scholars and focused in spiritual discussions. The main focus in these again is on Aswattha
Tree.
We come across the following Rigveda Mantra in Svetasvatara Upanishad
which is also repeated in Mundaka Upanishad that speaks of two birds perching
on the same Aswattha tree. One perched on the branch of the tree that signifies
the body and eating its fruit (jivatma) while the other (Paramatma) is merely
watching it. This is a Mantra which clearly indicates Paramatman (Supreme Being)
and Jeevatman (Self) are distinctly different
though Adavaita mentions they are one and the
same—Jivatma goesa after desire while Paramaatman has no need for any desire.
The tree referred here is Aswattha:
Dvaa
suparnaa sayujaa sakhaayaa samaanam vriksham parishasvajaate |
Tayornyah
pippalam svaadvatti anasna annayo abhichakaseemi ||
Two birds of similar qualities which
are inseparable from each other are perched on the same tree. Of the two, one
tastes the sweet Pippala fruit and the other is witnessing without eating.
Rig Veda Samhita is more elaborate on
the subject matter of the above mantra:
1.164.20. Two birds
associated together, and mutual friends, take refuge in the same tree; one of
them eats the sweet fig; the other abstaining from food, merely looks on.
1.164.21. Where the
smooth-gliding rays, cognizant, distil the perpetual portion of water there is
the Lord and steadfast protector who says all beings accepted me, though
immature in wisdom.
1.164.22. In the
tree into which the smooth-gliding rays feeders on the sweet, enters, and again
bring forth light over all, they have called the fruit sweet, but he partakes
not of it who knows not the protector of the universe.
The first bird
represents a Jeevaa,
or individual Self. She has a female
nature, being a Sakti, energy
of God.
When the Jeevaa becomes tempted by the fruits (signifying sensual pleasure),
she momentarily forgets her Lord and lover and tries to enjoy the fruit
independently without him. This separating thinking is Maha-maya,
or enthrallment, spiritual death, and constitutes the fall of the Jeevaa into the world of material birth, death, disease and old age.
The second bird is
the Paramatman, Supreme Spirit who accompanies every living being in the
heart while Jeevaatmaa remains in the material world. Supreme Spirit is the
support of all beings and is beyond sensual pleasure.
It can be stated that
this concept of Atman and Jiva have been personified and taken into
the Bible
as Adam and Eve and the fall of man. Jagadguru Chandrashekharendra Saraswati opines
that the term "Atman" is also often referred to as "Atmaa".
Then Atman stands for “Adam” and Atmaa
for Eve while God is Paramaatman. It can
then be inferred that this temptation of Jiva
is the immutable essence related to the events surrounding the fall of
man.
Another
interpretation is the two birds are two options: one is to eat the sweet
fruits; other is merely look on and recognize where the smooth-gliding rays
distil the perpetual water (the leaves and the root); there the Lord and
protector accepts the enjoyer bird Self in the tree, into which the
smooth-gliding rays feeders on the sweet and brings light over the tree. First
consciousness has to know the protector of the universe and then partake of it.
In one of the views
of Upanishad Aswattha is a Vyahriti of
Brahma (Deva or Tadekam) just as we propitiate Indra, Varuna, Agni and other Devatas
as emanations of Brahman alone (Tvam indrasvam……)
Maha Narayana
Upanishad (MNU) states in one of the Mantras: “Vriksha iva stabdho
divi tishtatyekastenedam poornam purushena sarvam “—The
One who stands like a tree established in heaven—all this is filled. The mantra
implies Parmaatman is all that exists even as the visible universe. The simile
of the tree here is perhaps similar to that Eternal Aswattha Tree with roots in
heaven which is described in Gita as well as Kathopanishad. But what is this
mysterious Tree (Vriksha)? We get a light on it in Taittariya Brahmana which reads:
Kim
svid vanam ka vu sa vriksha aaseet yato dyaavaaprithivee nishtatakshuhu |
maneeshino manasaa pricchatedu tat yadadhyatishthat bhuvanaani dhaarayat || Brahma vanam sa vriksha aaseet yato
dyaavaaprithivee nishtatakshuhu | Maneeshino
manasaa vibraveemi vah brahmaadyatishtat bhuvanaani dhaarayan ||
Was it
forest? What was the tree from which the
world was fashioned? O wise men! Think
out an answer for this and verify by ascertaining from your preceptor. Further, ask what is the cause which sustains
all the world within itself? This is the reply of the teacher: Brahman is the
Forest, Brahman is the Tree out of which heaven and earth were fashioned, for
all efficiency needed is in Brahman. O wise ones, I, the teacher, have arrived
at the conclusion and tell you so. The Brahman stands above all other causes,
holding the whole universe in itself. Thus the Supreme Divinity is non-different in the
transcendent and immanent aspects.
Supreme
Spirit is the supreme abode and by it this Universe is pervaded. It is the
inner Atman in all and that it is pervading all this. The orders of sentient are
also sustained and supported by it.
Now
let us turn our attention to Bhagavad Gita and listen to what Bhagawan says:
Oordhvamoolam adhahsaakham
asvattham praahur vavyayam |
Cchndaamsi yasya parnaani yas tam veda sa
vedavit || 15-1 ||
They speak of the eternal Aswattha tree that has its origin
above in the Supreme Being (Parabrhman) and its branches below in the cosmos,
whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One
who understands this tree is a knower of the Vedas.
Adhaschordhvam prasritaas tasya saakhaa gunapravriddhaa vishayapravaalaah | |
Adhascha moolaany anusantataani karmaanubandheeni manushyaloke ||
The
branches of h this cosmic tree of Illusion (Maayaa) spread all over the cosmos.
The tree is nourished by three modes (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas – three Gunas) of
material nature (prakriti): sense pleasures are its sprouts; and its roots of ego and
desires stretch below in the human world bound by Karma.
Na
roopam asyeha tathopalabhyate naanto na chaadir na cha sampratishthaa |
Asvattham
enam suviroodhamoolam asangasastrena dhridena cchitvaa || 15-3 ||
Tatah
padam tat paramaargitavyam yasmin
gataa na nivartanti bhooyah |
Tam
eva chaadyam purusham prapadye yatah pravrittih prasritaa puraanee || 15-4 ||
The
real form of this tree is not perceptible here on earth, nor its beginning and
end or existence. Having cut the firm
roots—the desires--of this tree by the mighty axe of self-knowledge and
detachment, and thus thinking: “in that
very primal person I take refuge from which this primal manifestation comes
forth” that supreme abode should be sought reaching where one does not come
back (to the mortal world ) again.
Gita
describes the eternal Ashvattha Tree with roots above and branches below. While trees usually have their roots growing
downwards, this tree has them growing upwards. Why so? Because this alone is
the Truth. That is Brahman. That alone is the immortal. In it all worlds are contained, and none goes
beyond. This, verily, is That. It is
the description of the famous Tree of Life. The analogy of this tree is not
peculiar to our scriptures alone. The tale of this tree can also be found in
the mystical texts of other cultures, though descriptions may differ slightly;
but they all symbolize life.
We can
find such a tree beside a reservoir of water. We can see that the trees on the
bank reflect upon the water with their branches down, and the roots up. In
other words, the tree of this material
world is only a reflection of the real tree of the spiritual world. This
reflection of the spiritual world is situated on desire, just as the tree’s reflection
is situated on water. Desire is the cause
of things being situated in this reflected material light. One who wants
to get out of this material existence must know this tree thoroughly through
analytical study. Then he can cut off his relationship with it.
Just as a tree has an
origin, life has an origin. As the tree goes through the process of growth and
evolution, so does life. As the tree is sustained by certain elements, life
also is sustained. As the tree has many branches, life is manifold too. As the
tree sprouts forth into flowers and fruits, life does similarly. As the tree is
exuberant in certain seasons, so is life. As the tree can be felled, life can
be cut. As the tree falls, life also ends. The process of living can be
compared to the growth of the tree. The reason why its roots strike upwards is
the process of life itself. Jeevatma yearns to join its root that is
Paramaatman that can be reached only, looking upwards or elevating oneself.
The manifestation of
the universe can be seen in two ways: it is not clear whether God created it
instantaneously, by an act of Will, or whether it evolves, rising from one
stage to another. The Bible says that God willed, and the universe came into
existence. But the view of the scientists does not agree with this doctrine of yugapat-srishti;
they hold that it has evolved. Vedanta accepts both theories. Even if creation
is yugapat, this does not exclude the idea of evolution. The fact that
time and space belong to creation does not necessarily suggest that it need be
in space and time. In this timeless causation which is difficult for the mind
to understand, the process of world evolution is super-intellectual. Iswara creates
in a mysterious manner, not in the logical way we think of. If His sudden Will
were the cause of creation, it might be called whimsical. He would be accused
of having made some people good and some bad. But, according to the Gita, God
has no fancy. He takes the karmas of the jivas into consideration. Many
trees grow on this earth: somewhere mango trees; somewhere thorns; various
kinds in various places. The earth will bring forth whatever you sow, and
sustain it, whether it is a tree with sweet fruit or a tree with bitter fruit.
Likewise do the sun, the river, etc.; they shed light or give water to all in
the same manner. Nature is absolutely impartial. So is God, the general
Sustainer; He is supreme Impartiality, sustaining both the wicked and the virtuous.
“The seeds are there,” says Shankaracharaya. Seeds represent those jivas who have
been wound up in the previous cycle and who lie in deep sleep, as it were.
Upanishads say the world was created as before. But no one knows when that
before was! Who knows whether the tree came first or the seed?
Dr. Ramananda Prasad
of The American Gita Society beautifully summarizes these four slokas as
follows: “The human body, a macrocosmic
universe may be also compared to a beginning-less and endless tree. Karma
is the seed in fruits, the countless desire are its roots, five basic elements
are the main branches, three modes of material Nature provide the
nourishment. Sense pleasures are its
sprouts the ten organs of perception and action are its sub-branches. This tree
is ever changing; but eternal without beginning and end. Just as the leaves
protect the tree, similarly, Karma Kaanda of Vedas protects and perpetuates
this tree. The one who truly understands this marvelous tree, its origin or
root, its nature and working, is the knower of the Vedas in a true sense.
Two aspects of
Eternal Being (Brahman)--the divine controller Iswara and the controlled,
living entity (Jivatma) –make their nest on the same tree as a part of the
cosmic drama—Leelaa. Virtue and Vice are its glorious followers: Pleasure and
Pain are its fruits. Jeeva due to
ignorance, eats these fruits; whereas Iswara sits on the tree, watches and
guides Jeeva when it looks up to it.
The Creation is
cyclic without beginning and end. It is ever changing and has no permanent
existence or a real form. One must sharpen the axe of metaphysical knowledge
and detachment over the stone of spiritual practice called Saadhanaa; we must
cut the feeling of separateness between the living entity (Jeeva) and the
Iswara (the Lord)—the seeker and the sought; cheerfully participate in the drama of
life made of passing shadows of joys and sorrows (Pravritti Maarga); and live
in this world as Jeeva-Mukta, free from ego and desires (practicing also
Nivritti Maarga)”
Focusing on Sankhya Philosophy the world has evolved from Mulaprakriti or
fundamental Nature. Human body is part
of it. This seed constitutes the form
which the trunk emerges as Mahat and
then on two main branches emerge as Brahmanda and Pindanda based on its
Ahankara Tattva. Here again one is
huge and other is small. Huge branch is occupied by Paramaatman that does not
have any material desire. The small
branch is Jivatma that goes in search of food as sweet fruit having pangs of
thirst and hunger. On this side there are the psychological organs—ten senses,
Pranas all organically connected to the trunk. On the other side we have
Tanmatras which mixed to form five elements and the Mahabutas. This is what
Svetasvatara explains as two birds on different branches. The psychological
organs of Jivatma have fatal
attractions and have
their love and hatred, the tendency to virtue and vice, all the strong and weak
points of human nature; the urge to evolution and involution, for
sense-gratification and God-realization. That is why this bird jumps to pick
the fruit while the other is least bothered living ever complete and full in
the state of Bliss.
In Hindu culture as well as in others it is customary to name the new born; Aswattha, Aswattha Narayana; Charu Lata; Lata, Valli, Kumuda, Kamala, Padma, Mallika,Tulasi,Rosa, Jasmine etc.
The world is
constituted of such unsteady elements, and so it is said to be ashvatha,
that which will not last till tomorrow; and yet it appears as permanent, shashvata.
This so-called tree of samsara has its roots struck in Prakriti
constituted of sattva, rajas and tamas, but it is
ultimately made up of one substance (Brahma Padarta talked about in Jagaannatha
Idol of Puri), whatever may be the variety of this vast creation. The
absolutely pure Brahman is the Source of it, and also its Sustainer and
Withdrawer. From THIS everything starts, and into THIS everything returns. Many
examples are given to illustrate this point. Like the spider and its web, so is
creation. The web is part of the matter of the spider’s body, but it appears as
outside it; or like the flashing forth of sparks of fire. This life-tree has
its roots in Brahman. Even Prakriti is in Brahman. Thus Asvattha Tree
stands for both the perennial and the ever changing with its main branches.
REFERENCES
1.
Ramanada
Prasad, The Bhagavad-Gita, American Gita Society, Freemont, CA, USA.
2.
Swami
Prabhupada, Bhagavad-Gita, The Macmillan Company, New York, NY, USA.
3.
Swami
Vimalananda, MN Upanishad, Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India.
4.
Ananta
Rangachrya, Principal Upanishads, Bengaluru, India.
5.
Hermann
Hesse, Baume—Betractungen and Gedichte., Interne.
6.
Wikipedia
and various other Internet Sources.
7.
Swami
Vimalananda et al., Why do we…., Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, Mumbai, India.
8.
Swami
Bhaskaranada¸ The Ten Cardinal Upanishads¸ Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, India.
The
Immortal Banyan Tree in Kurukshetra
There
is a Banyan tree in Kurukshetra under which Lord Krishna explained
Bhagavad-Gita 5000 years back to Arjuna to his greatest friend and devotee.
There is a board placed on the tree in which is written as “The Immortal Banyan
Tee Witness of the Celestial Song Bhagavad-Gita”.
This
place is named as the Gitopadesh sthal – place where the Bhagavad-Gita was
spoken. The tree is full of birds and squirrels which adds to the mystic aura
of the holy place which is eternally peaceful despite amidst coming and going
of pilgrims throughout the day.
The
banyan tree under which Lord Krishna gave upadesam (Spiritual advice) to Arjuna
is still existing. Priest there tells all visitors that
since that day, the tree is neither growing nor withering. It is remaining as it is. He said that they
don’t even allow the leaves to fall down and hence the entire tree is covered
with net.
10
Most Amazing Plants in the World
The Earth
is home to more than 298000 species of plants. The diverse group balances the
nature and life on Earth. Some plants produce beautiful pleasant smelling
flowers, some produce nutrient rich fruits, some have medicinal properties and
some have totally strange appearance. Followings are 10 strangest plants around
the world.
White
Baneberry
Actaea
pachypoda or baneberry is a small ball type
plant native to North American forests. It is also called as doll’s eye because
of its special shaped fruits. This plant stands 60 cm tall and only has very
few leaves. Its red thick stems also looks very attractive.
The fruits
of white baneberry are toxic. The flowers of white baneberry is very
small, only have size of 6mm.
Baseball
Plant
It is
generally known as euphorbia obese
native to South Africa. The plant has exactly the same shape of a baseball. It
is an unbranched plant with an average height of 20 cm. The special species of
baseball plant is protected by national nature conservation as it is very rare
in the world.
Male and
female flowers of euphorbia obese
grow on different plants. Baseball plants are quite toxic, makes severe
skin problems.
Hydnellum
Peckii
Hydnellum
peckii is a special type of fungi that
produce blood or juice like fluid on its surface. This plant is also known as
‘bleeding tooth funguses’. It is the Scarlet pigment causes blood like color on
the fluid of this plant. This strange plant mainly found across North America
and Europe. It is edible but the blood like fluid is extremely bitter in taste.
Hydnellum
peckii has an unpleasant odor. The color
of fluids on Hydnellum pecky can be
varies as orange or pink.
Welwitschia
Mirabilis
Welwitschia
Mirabilis is a unique plant that only found in
the desert of Namibia. The estimated lifespan of this strange looking plant is
500 to 1500 years. It can survive within many extreme weather conditions. The
most interesting thing about Welwitschia
is the plant only has two leaves that grow continuously over time. This strange
species also have separate male and female plants.
Lithop
Lithop
can be described as living stones, a plant that exactly looks like stones or
pebbles. In fact its unique shape causes by the merging of two separate leaves
at the outer edges of the plant. The leaves of the lit-hop plant grow in very rainy season. This extremely strange
plant species mainly found in South Africa.
The thick
pebble like leaves are main visible parts of lit-hops. Unlike other plants
the leaves of lit-hop are in brown or grey. Lit-hops can be found in various
colors like white, grey, pink and purple. Lit-hops will live for more than
50 years.
Mimosa
Mimosa
podia also known as ‘sensitive plant’ or
‘shy plant’ is native to South America. But mimosa podia can see all around the
world especially in shady areas. The most attractive feature of mimosa podia is
nothing but its response to touch. Its leaves immediately fold up on touch. The
primitive nervous system within this plant which balances flow of water from
beneath of leaves that causes this
sensitive nature.
Corpse
Flower
Corpse
flower is generally known as ‘titan arum’. It is the largest branched main stem
concern flowering plant in the world. Corpse flower is endemic to Sumatra.
During flowering the plant stands at 8.2 feet tall. The plant also produces the
smell of decomposing animal.
Corpse
plant blooms only in every 40 years. It is the smelliest and largest
flower in the world. Corpse flowers are protected by law as it is very
rare.
Raffle
Arnoldo
Raffles
Arnoldo is the biggest individual flower in
the world. In fact it is smaller than corpse flower by considering some
elements. It is mainly found in forests of Sumatra. Raffles will grow up to a size of three feet. Like
corpse flower the plant produce an unpleasant irritating smell. Raffles Arnoldo is unisexual, have both
male and female reproduction system.
Venus
Flytrap
Venus
flytrap also known as Dionaea muscipula
is a carnivorous plant. It means the plant consumes small insects and animals
as food. Venus flytraps can be found in the Eastern Carolina especially in wet
inhabitants. Venus flytrap has special lobes to trap the prey animals.
The Venus
flytrap close its lobes immediately when the insects come in contact with the
plant. This plant will digest the insects within a time span of 10
days. The leavesVenus flytrap opens its lobes widely to catch the preys.
Pitcher
Plant
Pitcher
plant is another type of carnivorous plant native to South East Asia. The plant
has an attractive deep red color. The attractive smell of pitcher plants helps
it to easily catch the preys. The insects and small animals become main preys
of pitcher plants. It is said to be some species of pitcher plant can even
consume mice.
The deep
cavity that is filled with special fluid helps to catch the preys. The
plant has most mysterious leaf structure and features special digestive
enzymes.
Trees – A Beautiful Gift of Nature
Since
from Vedic times India is known for its rich nature resources, it was
covered with thick forest where our civilization was born and acquired
its distinct
character. Our people instinctively used natural resources in a way
that was favorable to the long term survival of man.
The people were free from desire to
extend their domain and participated with other creations that gave
purpose and joy to living. In constant contact with Nature’s renewing
growth, the Indian mind was free from the desire
to extend its dominion by erecting boundary walls around its
acquisitions. Absolute isolation from other living forms was not
acceptable. It was not power over but participation with other creations
that gave purpose and joy to living. A series of invasions
altered the pattern of our existence. We adopted unnatural norms.
Everything was subordinated to the specious ideal of making money, and
yet more money. This approach filled heavy burden on Mother Nature.
Wild
life was destroyed; forests uprooted, hill-sides stripped of their
thick supply of trees. Warning signals in the form of frequent floods,
shortage of timber
and famine of forest products are being constantly given by Nature.
Deprived of its natural purifiers, the trees, the atmosphere around our
cities is polluted and endangers the very life of man, but he cheerfully
proceeds to accumulate more and more goods,
and to multiply himself. The primitive man had a great relation with
trees he worshiped trees. The great affinity of man to trees can be
illustrated by recent chipko movement when men and women wrapped
themselves around trees rather than allow them to be destroyed.
The trees are remarkable living things stabilizing environment. We
cannot use such resources at a pace that does not allow Nature to
rejuvenate itself.
When
lord made this beautiful earth he obviously had a very good plan of how
each part of nature should fit together so it would work like a
well-kept machine.
Let me explain with an example, you may have heard of the Dodo. It was a
large flightless bird which once lived on the island of Mauritius and
Reunion in the Indian Ocean near the coast of Africa. Because of man it
became extinct. 300 years ago, when ships
anchored near these islands, the sailors would land, and while
exploring would find the poor clumsy Dodos. Because they were large and
couldn’t escape, the sailors killed them for fun. After a very short
time they ceased to exist anywhere in the world. This
was senseless cruelty since even the flesh of the bird was not
particularly pleasant to eat. But this bird had a purpose on earth which
has been realized only recently. This was to help the seeds of a tree
called the Calvaria Major to grow into plants and
then full-grown trees. The seeds were eaten by the Dodo. While passing
through its digestive system the hard outer covering of the seed was
dissolved. So when at last it was passed out of the bird’s body it was
ready to grow. Since the disappearance of the
Dodo so many hundred years ago, no more Calvaria trees have grown. The
trees that remain are very old and are now dying. Scientists have been
working hard to find another bird to do the job that the Dodo once did.
It is now thought that the turkey is a possible
substitute, as it has the same kind of digestive system. Let us hope
that although the Dodo cannot be restored to earth, at least the
Calvaria tree will not be lost. There are many trees whose seeds need
the help of the digestive systems of birds or animals
to grow. The above example gives inference very clearly how everything
on earth is connected directly or indirectly to every other thing and
how man can interfere in this relationship. Destroy one thing and
everything else will be affected in one way or another.
This balance is called the ecological balance and is very important for
the well-being of the entire world. If, for instance, all the trees in
one forest were cut down for some reason and another kind of tree not
usually grown in that area were planted, it
would completely change the balance of nature. Insects, birds and
animals would either die or move elsewhere to find their normal food,
and other insects, birds and animals may or may not replace them.
Similarly, the small plants normally growing beneath the
trees would change: for the same reasons. People living in the forest
might find that the trees from which they got their fruit were no longer
there.
Vedas and trees
In
Bhagwad Gita Krishna says that our world is like banyan tree which has
its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic
hymns. One who
knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas. The importance of trees is
also been described in Ramayana and Mahabharata. This indicates that
Indians from Vedic time had a great bonding for trees. The Hindu
tradition describes three different categories of forest.
The first among them is shrivan, the forest that gives prosperity. The
second is tapovan, the forest where one can meditate like the sages who
contemplate to seek truth. The third type is mahavan; it is the place
where all species seek out shelter. The importance
of trees, its scientific evolution such as absorption and assimilation
of food from soil by the roots, distinction between fertile and sterile
soil, knowledge of trees, methods of planting, grafting and
transplanting, various types of manures, rotation of
crops, pollination of seeds etc were all mentioned in Taittiriya, Brihatsamhita, purans and other texts written by great scholars like Varahamihira, Shankara Mishra, Gunaratna and others.
The
Taittiriya upanishad describes about “Aranyakas” means belonging to
wilderness from where one cannot see the roofs of the settlement. Where
knowledge can
be gained and learned in the wilderness. In Vedic literature the most
important tree described is about “Asvattham” which is called as Arasa
Maram” (Ficus religiosa). One call it as palm tree, another call it as
pipal (ficus religiosa-pagoda fig-tree) and
yet another call it as Banyan tree (ficus bhengalensis) with
adventitious aerial roots. It is a cosmic tree, the berries of the tree
are sweet, and Soma (intoxicant) is prepared from its juice according to
some accounts. Asvattham is said to be a “body-tree.”
“A” is no; “THA” is existence; “Shva” means “after tomorrow:” No
existence after tomorrow. It tells us that life is precarious. The body
tree itself is imperishable (HAM), because God pervades it.The Buddha
attained enlightenment under the Bo tree; Bo is short
for bo-gaha, tree of wisdom; Bo tree is Pipal or Banyan tree; Bo is
wisdom, Bodhi is enlightenment, Buddhi is knowledge and the Buddha is he
who attained enlightenment
Uses of trees
Trees
work very hard to keep the air we breathe clean and healthy. Their
leaves breathe in much of the poisonous unwanted carbon dioxide in the
air, and replace
it with the oxygen which we need for healthy living. Tree roots dig
deep into the earth and hold the soil together so that the rain and wind
cannot wash or blow it away hence avoiding soil erosion. Scientists,
all over the world are trying to find ways to
prevent it. But one of the most significant ways is by planting more
trees. They prevent floods. The roots keep river banks firm and do not
let them crumble. Water is thus prevented from pouring out onto the
fields and spoiling the farmers’ crops, or entering
villages and destroying houses and drowning people and animals. The
trees in forest attract rain. Trees send up water vapor into the
atmosphere through their leaves. When this vapor meets the cool air
above it turns into drops of water which then fall as
rain. They give us beauty, Color and greenery. This is something which
we often forget and fail to appreciate. They are the homes of many
birds, animals and insects. Each of these is important in keeping up a
balance in nature.
The
greatest challenge of our times is to try and re-establish the vital
link with Nature in the face of modern urban pressures. While the West
is well on its
way to rectifying its errors, we are still following a dangerous path.
In our ignorance, we are not even being selfish.
APPENDIX
MYTHS AND FOLKTALES RITUALS AND BELIEFS
OF ASWATTHA
- The legend of being sacred of Peepal Tree perhaps comes
from ancient Vedic ritual of kindling the sacrificial fire at religious
ceremonies using friction with two pieces of wood, one of wood is from Peepal
Tree and such ceremony was known as ‘The Birth of Agni’.( Birth Of Fire)
Even the vessels used to store Somarus
(SOMARUS=ALCOHOL in common terms ) were made of the Peepal wood ( Aswattha
wood).
- The tree is regarded as a symbol of the male and is ceremoniously
married to a neem tree which is symbolic of the female. In villages in
India, usually these two trees are grown side by side with a platform
built round them. On the platform inter-twined or coiled snake stones are
placed which are symbols of fertility.
- This symbolic association of the sexes is reversed in
Rajasthan and Punjab where the Neem (Azadirachta indica) tree is
considered a male. Since women in purdha do not show their face to strange
men, women in these areas cover their face with a veil on passing a neem
tree.
- In Orissa a marriage is performed between the Vata
(Ficus bengaltnsis) tree which is considered as the male and the Aswattha
which is considered as the female, the tree is frequently planted near a
Vata tree so as to mix their foliage and stems from a superstitious notion
that they are of two different sexes and their growing together is
regarded as an emblem of marriage. The tree is invested with the triple
cord like Brahman and with the same attendant ceremonies as the thread ceremony
of a Brahmans. The Aswattha is also sometimes married to the Kadali tree
(Musa paradesiaca), the two trees are grown so close and their trunks
intertwine so much that they look like one.
- In Tamil Nadu, Peepal and Neem trees are planted so
close to each other that they mix up as they grow a naga idol is placed
under them and worshiped. This is believed to bless the worshiper with
wealth. Women take an early morning bath and circumambulate these trees.
- This Peepal Tree (Aswattha) is believed to be growing
on the mythical island called Plaksha Dvipa. The Gods are said to sit
under the Aswattha tree in the third heaven.
BUDDHIST CONCEPT:
As mentioned in the last post , that
Buddhists also consider the tree sacred COZ Prince Siddhartha sat in meditation
under this tree and since then it is called the Bodhi (Bodhi is derived from
the word Budhhi =Intelligence) tree and According to people follow Hinduism in
India Peepal is considered “A Tree of Ultimate Knowledge”.
ORRISA: The tree is considered sacred
by some tribes of the Ganjam district of Orissa. According to them before the
creation of the world, Kittung and his sister used to live in a gourd. When the
gourd broke, the two started living on the Kurabeli hill. This was at a time
when there were no trees on this earth.
When summer came, the sister complained
of the intense heat as there were no trees to give them shade. About this time,
a squirrel bit off four fingers of the left hand of the Kittung while he was
asleep at night, leaving only the third middle finger.
On hearing his sister complain of the
heat, the Kittung cut off his maimed left hand and put it on a stone which grew
into the Aswattha tree called the Onjerneban tree by the tribal people. 4.3
Folktale from other states: In Bengal a
ritual called Aswatthapats-vrata is observed by women on the last day of the
month of Vaisakh (April-May).
Five leaves of Aswattha are required
for this ritual and each leaf signifies a different stage of human life. For
instance, a new leaf for the birth of a son, a young green leaf for beauty and
youth, an old leaf for long life of the husband, a dry leaf for increase in
happiness and wealth, a withered leaf for precious wealth beyond expectation.
The plant is a symbol of fertility and is worshiped by women for the grant of a
child.
In Purabi, the dialect of eastern Uttar
Pradesh, there is a saying used when expelling evil spirits and when talking of
someone’s evil temper. It goes: Je Jagdipen nagar ujaaral, raakas chhoral pipar
Se Jagdipa aawat baru, haathe le le musar. (Jagdipa, who made the town desolate
and from whom even the demon fled the Pipal, is now coming with a pestle in her
hand.) Jagdipa was, in folklore, an exceedingly quarrelsome woman. She fought
with everyone in the village, all the time.
She abused and hit them and made life
so unpleasant that the villagers started leaving the village and settling down
elsewhere. One day there was no one left to quarrel with.
Jagdipa was undaunted. She picked up
her broom and attacked the Peepal tree, shouting abuse at it all the while. The
demon in the tree stood it for a few days. But finally even his nerve gave way
and he rushed away from the tree and sought refuge elsewhere.
According the folklore of the Saharia
tribe of Central India, once, a marriage party took shelter under a peepal tree
because it was raining. Within a short time the branches and leaves of the
peepal tree arranged themselves closely to save the marriage party from heavy
shower. Since them they worshiped the peepal tree.
According to Russell and Lai,
Bahamanian sect worshiped the banyan and peepal tree, as these are held sacred
by the Brahmans (Russell, R.V., and R.B.H. Lai, “The Tribes and castes of the
Central Provinces of India”, Asian Educational Service, New Delhi, 1995).
Existence of Peepal could be traced
from Vedic era, traces were found even from 3000 BC - 1700 BC during Peepal
Tree Indus Valley Civilization when Mohan-Jodaro City was excavated. The
evidences indicate that Peepal was worshiped even then by the people of those
times. In India, Peepal is considered to be the “Tree of Creation”; “Tree of
Knowledge” and “Tree of Eternal Life”.
Vedic Puaranas explains that Peepal is
closely connected with human fertility. In India particularly women worship
Peepal Tree for fertility and longevity. It has been mentioned from the Vedic
period onwards. One can find the reference in Mahabharata (ref Vol.10,
Anusasana Parva, p.268) that worshipping daily after the morning bath confers
longevity& power.
Even in Sreemad Bhagvad Gita, lord
Krishna narrated the power and the attributes of Peepal Tree:
Asvatha sarva vrikshanam devarshinam
cha Gandharvanam chitrarathah siddhanam kapilo muni (अस्वथा सर्व वृक्षनाम
देवार्शिनाम
च गंधार्वनाम चित्ररथः सिद्धाणं कपिलो मुनि) (Ref-Bhagavad-Gita, Chapter-10, Sloka–26)
In this text, Lord Sri Krishna said
that: I am the “Aswatha Vriksham, the King of Vrikshas”.
It is said that Vishnu himself stood in
the form of this tree. In Sanskrit Peepal is known as “Achystavas OR Ashvatha,
and its Botanical name is FICUS RELIGIOSA There are many legends &
mythologies which have been described in Vedic Puaranas.
One of the incident described in one of
the Puaranas that when Demons (ASURAS) were very powerful and defeated GODS,
Lord Vishnu took the shelter in Peepal Tree, since Narayan himself took shelter
in Peepal, it gained the divine significance for humans, and people began to
worship the tree, considering it to be one path to offer prayers to Lord
Vishnu.
TRIMURTI (BRAMHA – VISHNU – MAHESH --
Root - The Brahma, Trunk - The Vishnu and The Leaves - Lord Shiva.)
Peepal has many legends attached (and
botanical fact is that, this is one tree which has lived several thousand
years, “BODHI TREE, where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment” is one of the
well known examples.
This is also said that Lord Krishna
left his humanly body under the Peepal tree. It is preferred to stir Peepal
tree only on Saturdays. In one of the Vedic Scriptures it is mentioned that
that Ashvatha and Pepala, two demons, namely used to torture and harass people
and Lord Shani killed these two Demons (ASURAS).
Since Lord Shani was the cause of
relief to human being from those two Asuras, Peepal is worshiped on Saturdays
so that any evil effects are warded off with Lord Shani’s blessings,
Existence of Peepal could be traced
were found even from 3000 BC - 1700 BC during Peepal Tree Indus Valley
Civilization when Mohan-Jodaro City was excavated. The evidences indicate that
Peepal was worshiped even then by the people of those times.
In India, Peepal is considered to be
the “Tree of Creation”; “Tree of Knowledge” and “Tree of Eternal Life”. Vedic
Puaranas explains that Peepal is closely connected with human fertility. In
India particularly women worship Peepal Tree for fertility and longevity.
Peepal
is a tree is worshipped since the dawn of civilization and has great medicinal
value apart from religious significance.
This
sacred tree native to the Indian subcontinent is a storehouse of medicinal
value and is used to treat many ailments and diseases, ranging from a simple
incident like a snake bite to Asthma, skin diseases, kidney diseases,
constipation, dysentery, impotency and various blood-related problems, said
Acharya Bal Krishan of the Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd. in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
Peepal
tree leaves contain Glucose, Asteriod and Mennos, Phenolic while its bark is
rich in Vitamin K, Tainan and Phaetosteroline. All of these ingredients make
the peepal tree an exceptional medicinal tree. According to the science of
Ayurveda, every part of the peepal tree - the leaf, bark, shoot, seeds and its
fruit has several medicinal benefits, and it is being use d since ancient times to cure many
diseases.
Devadaru tree (Cedrus deodara)
Did you know that
Devadaru tree (Cedrus deodara) native to the Western Himalayan Temperate Zone
in the Himalayas is considered sacred even today?
Devadaru tree, a
species of cedar, with the widely known botanical name Cedrus deodara, the tree
of the Indian subcontinent, native to the Western Himalayan Temperate Zone in
the Himalayas, also known as 'Pinus devadaru' and by its Sanskrit name
'deiudar' or 'Suradaru' meaning “the one which grows in the land of Gods”, is a
large coniferous evergreen tree which bears flowers, new leaves and fruits all
year through and has a sweet fragrance surrounding it like a divine aura. The
Sanskrit word Devadaru, a compound word of 'deva (god)' and 'daru (wood)'
meaning "wood of the gods".
In the epic Ramayana
there is mention of “stands of devadarus” and "devadaruvanaih". Its
considered sacred even today. In Valmiki Ramayana's Kishkinda khanda menation
is made as:
lodhra padmaka khaNDeSu devadaaru vaneSu ca |
raavaNaH saha vaidehyaa maargitavyaa tataH tataH || || 4-43-13
In the stands of Lodhra
trees, Padmaka trees and in the woods of Devadaru, or Deodar trees, Ravana is
to be searched there and there, together with Seetha.
These trees in groups
give shelter to many temples in Kumaon and Kulu valleys. Offerings are also
given to the tree. Trees can be seen studded with iron nails in the Kumaoa
Hills with Hindus giving iron nails as offering in great reverence for the
trees are considered as Gods, in their hearts. Deodar wood is extensively used
in Kath-Kuni architectural constructions of houses and temples particularly in
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
In Vedic times, sages
(Rishis) did penance and meditation to Lord Shiva under this tree and temples
were built with its aromatic wood and incense made of its wood was used for
fumigation and worship of Gods.
The most cold-tolerant
tree found at an altitude of 1200-3000 meters above sea level in the Western
Himalayas, particularly in north-central India (Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal
states), Northern India (Kashmir), southwestern most Tibet and western Nepal,
and also in northern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan, the Devadaru, an
evergreen coniferous tree reaches heights of 40-50 m (even at places to 60 m),
has usually a trunk measuring up to 3 m diameter. The tree, as an ornamental
tree, exhibits a conic crown with level branches and drooping branch lets. The
leaves are needle-like and in dense clusters with bright green to glaucous
blue-green color. Flowering and fruiting occurs in June, ripen and shed their
pollen from September. Drained soil and high moisture are ideal for its growth.
It needs ample space and sunlight to reach its grand growth potential. It is
extremely adaptable for growth in varied pH of soils.
Its wood is in great
demand as building material because of its durability, rot-resistant character
and fine close grain, which is capable of taking high polish. Its anti-fungal,
insect-repellent and anti-bacterial properties makes it valuable as
construction material. The primary uses of deodar are for railway sleepers,
beams, floor-boards, posts, door and window frames and shingles. It is also
used for bridge construction, carriage and wagon building, furniture, packing
cases, electric poles, battery separators and second grade pencils.
The inner wood is
aromatic and used to make incense. Inner wood is distilled into essential oil.
As insects avoid this tree, the essential oil is used as insect repellant on
the feet of horses, cattle and camels. Vessels made of this wood is used to
preserved food.
Therapeutic utility of
Devadaru or Cedrus deodara is of
classical importance in Indian Medicine of Ayurveda, an ancient medical system
and culture of India to alleviate Vata ( one of the three elemental substances,
or doshas, of the Ayurveda) disorders and Prameha (urinary disorders). In the
medical literature of the 7th Century – Madhavachikitsa - its compound
formulations including its oil are mentioned to be highly useful in the
treatment of all major fevers. Other benefits include treatment of neurological
disorders, asthma, infested wounds, headache, fever, pruritus, arthritis and
worms.
Its essential oil,
often yellowish or even darker in color, is used in making soaps, perfumes,
insecticides, household sprays, and floor polishes.
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